Trial and Error
by musicnotes093
Summary: "Leo Dooley: You have Three days, Seven hours, Twenty-Nine minutes and Twelve seconds left to live. Spend your remaining time wisely. – X" And with that, their lives are turned upside down.
1. One

**Title:** _"Trial and Error"_

**Rating**: T

**Genre:** Mystery, Friendship

**Character(s):** the Davenport household mainly, along with a few other familiar faces

**Pairing(s):** Donald/Tasha, mentions of Bree/Owen and Adam/OC, another (surprise) pairing

**Summary:** "Leo Dooley: You have Three days, Seven hours, Twenty-Nine minutes and Twelve seconds left to live. Spend your remaining time wisely. – X" And with that, their lives are turned upside down.

**Notes:** I need another series like I need a chip on the tooth. This is, like, my what? Third? Anyways, this is an idea I recycled and tweaked a little bit from a plot I had for an original fiction a year or two ago. It sounded good, so I'm giving it a go. More likely, it won't be a very long fic. My initial plan is not to prolong it. It's actually just a part of a personal challenge, so we'll see how it goes.

The story is set sometime in the future. This, I believe, is my first Lab Rats story that didn't stem from an episode. Though, I think the surprise pairing may come as a bit shocking to others, but if you've read a particular work of mine, it really won't be a very new idea. ;) You'll also find that the story is not and will not be affected by any of the events in Season Three.

Please enjoy!

**WARNING:** Potential death of a main character. It will be graphic, so watch out.

* * *

_One._

The silence in the living room was violently shattered by the swift opening of the door and the loud chatter that accompanied it as soon as the clock struck the thirty-first second of the minute. The younger occupants of the house filed in towards the couch, the older three exhaustedly taking a seat after plopping their backpacks on the floor with a laugh, while the youngest remained on his feet as he sorted through the unbearably thick pile of mail in his hands. Peace threatened to fight back when comfortable quietness befell them all, but it was defeated once again when the oldest made another comment at the expense of his younger brother.

It ignited another bout of laughter among them.

For Leo, it was a sound very difficult to listen to.

It was just their second year of being together, of being parts that rise as a whole, but it would be sufficient enough to cast a permanent deep void once one of them separates by summer's end. Despite being only at the budding age of sixteen, Chase already neared the end of his high school days. Their mother had already gone through several cycles of grief, starting from the day he came home with the envelope for his senior pictures. She had been smothering her son (she refused to call him anything else) with much affection, to which he outwardly cowered from and inwardly drew towards.

Honestly, it made the other three somewhat jealous, especially Leo, but he understood. He was mature enough to appreciate that his mother's love was meant to be shared with his siblings.

Their mother wasn't the only one affected with these changes, however. His stepfather had been undeniably successful in making his older children believe that he was strictly pragmatic regarding matters like these. He had given the future graduate several plans to make college life fit perfectly with the obligation to those needing their help. He managed to bury himself within the tedious work of making sure his son would have a comfortable and enjoyable life outside the four corners of their home and to be preoccupied with engineering the perfect graduation gift for him that he had built an invisible wall that shielded the others from peering into how he truly viewed his son's impending departure.

Yet Leo could see through it, and this easily opened him up to be the keeper of his stepfather's deeper thoughts.

His stepfather's, as well as his siblings'.

All of them had been actively trying to lighten the situation, to hide the sadness they already felt, only so that they could support Chase's already wavering decision to leave them.

"Just don't choke, Chase," Adam said when Chase voiced his concern over giving his valedictorian speech during graduation. "Remember to breathe, keep your thoughts straight—and be brave when you finally admit to everyone that you've always secretly had a crush on Caitlin."

Chase responded with a heavy frown, while Bree expressed her disgust between chuckles.

Adam grabbed the blue cap from one of the chairs. He then put it on, the tassel dangling helplessly in front of his face. Assuming a pose as if he was Chase standing behind an invisible podium, he said, "I love you, Caitlin Cooper."

Bree and Leo laughed loudly. Chase rolled his eyes, grinning nonetheless.

"Wait," Bree protested, wiping tears off her eyes. "Caitlin's last name isn't Cooper."

Adam shrugged after tossing the cap back to the chair and sitting down. "Eh. Chase doesn't care. It'll change into Davenport soon, anyways," he said.

A sardonic smile flashed across Chase's face. "Yeah. And it'll probably be because of you," he pointed out.

Adam thought about it, a disturbed expression on his face.

"I doubt Ayanna would let that happen," Leo commented. Adam shot him a curious look. "I'm just saying," he continued as he arranged the organized letters into piles. "Ayanna's a cool chick and all, and I like her, I do—but man. She can get super territorial."

Adam nodded with a pleased grin. He clucked his tongue. "Yep. That's my girl," he said.

"How you're dating the captain of the debate team is still beyond me," Chase muttered.

"Speaking of chicks," Bree sat up, "Leo. What is this I hear that you're seeing a girl?"

"Yeah. I heard about that, too," Chase chimed in. "Do we know her?"

Leo continued shuffling through the last group of envelopes in his possession with unfazed concentration. "Having a gossip session now, are we," he said.

"Oh, come on," Adam said. "Look. It's okay if you're seeing someone else. That's cool. Janelle's been in Maryland for at least a year now. She's probably seeing someone else, too."

Leo didn't bother to look up when he heard a chorus of loud _thwack!_ from the couch.

When Janelle told him the week before summer break last year that her dad was being relocated to Baltimore and would result into her whole family moving there permanently, it drove him into misery. He adored her very much, and he would like to think that she felt the same way, too. Their last week together was hard for him, and when she departed the last day of school, he thought it would have been better if someone yanked his heart out of his chest.

He knew she would be gone from then on.

Although, she promised to e-mail him often, and she had kept that promise through all the months.

They were still friends, and it was good enough for them. They talked about almost everything that happens. Lately, however, she hadn't been talking to him as much, which was okay. He hadn't told his family yet, but Janelle had disclosed to him months ago that there was someone she liked. She had written to ask if she could accept an invitation to a movie from him.

He told her that she didn't need his permission and would harbor no resentment.

So, for the last five months, Janelle had been dating another boy she met at her new school.

Honestly, he still missed her, but only as a friend.

"So, anything interesting in today's mail?" Bree asked in an attempt to end the awkwardness.

Leo examined the bright red envelope addressed to him which he found at the bottom of the stack. "No," he said. "There's about a hundred college junk mail for Chase. There's a few for the three of us. The rest is just bills and letters for Mom and Big D. Oh, and a book of coupons for Layla Gallego or Current Resident."

"Ooh. Is that the one that has the buy one, get one Hawaiian sundaes?" Adam asked.

"Yep."

"Sweet!" Adam sang.

"Did Stanford send anything?" Chase headed towards the kitchen counter where the letters amassed.

Adam frowned as he and Bree followed him. "I thought you're set for Columbia?" he asked.

"Can't a guy explore his options?" Chase asked, an unreadable expression passing by his features.

Leo looked up with a mild frown. "Hey, Chase, when you move out, can I have your capsule?"

Chase curtly shook his head as he picked through the envelopes. "Not unless you want a mild electric current to be your alarm clock," he said. "Plus, I haven't left _yet_."

A disappointed expression overcame Leo's face as he resorted to opening the letter sent to him. He listened to his siblings' conversation while sliding a used butter knife through the well-sealed envelope. Adam said something about going to the ice cream shop to redeem the free sundaes. Chase interrupted any further planning with, "Leo has to go to work today, remember?" Bree waved the thought away by reminding them that he had that Thursday off because of the company dinner their parents were bringing them to later on.

Leo took out the whitewashed piece of card, thinking it was yet another unimportant mail.

He was slightly taken aback when he read it, a chill slinking through his skin.

His siblings noticed his expression and misread it for something else.

"Ooh, what is that?" Adam said teasingly. "Is that from your girlfriend?"

Leo ignored the teasing, rereading the letter instead.

"This girl's got it pretty bad, doesn't she," Bree commented. She pouted mockingly. "What did your shweetie shay?"

Leo looked up tensely. He drew attention away from it by laughing albeit nervously. "Nothing," he said. "It's actually just junk, that's all. I should probably just throw it away."

Upon the goading of her other brothers, Bree super sped ahead of Leo after he walked away with the envelope and the letter. She snatched it from his hand then sprinted back to her spot beside Adam and Chase.

"Oh, not cool!" Leo stomped back in the room lividly. "That's _my_ property. _My_ letter. You have no right to take it _or_ to read it."

"Chill, Leo," Chase held his hand up, grinning. "Why're you getting so upset? I thought you said it's junk."

"It is! But it doesn't mean you can just take it from me as you please!"

Adam laughed. He nodded knowingly. "Definitely from his girlfriend," he said. He sighed. "Alright. Let's read this thing."

"No!" Leo lunged forward, hands outstretched for the letter. However, even the height that he had gained and the small increase in the speed of his feet could not match the agility Adam had mastered over the years. Whenever Leo advanced, Adam would make the perfect step backward, causing his younger brother to miss comically while he read the letter aloud.

"Leo Dooley," Adam spoke at the top of his voice, "You have Three Dogs—no. Three days—quit it! Let me read it, Leo! You have Three days, Seven hours, Twenty…Nine—Twenty Nine minutes and Twelve seconds left to live." He stopped, glancing anxiously back and forth between his brother and the letter. Leo, meanwhile, stood on his spot defeated, seeing that all had been done. "Spend your remaining time wisely. X," Adam finished.

Chase moved within that second, his hand reaching out for the card. "You didn't read that right, Adam. Let me see," he said. He took it. "Leo Dooley: You have Three days, Seven hours, Twenty-Nine minutes and Twelve seconds left to live. Spend your remaining time wisely. X."

Bree joined her brothers as they read it quietly for the third time. When they understood that what they held in their hand was indeed, not a love letter, but a death threat, they looked up at their brother worriedly.

Upon instinct, Leo shrugged. "Well, at least I'll finally be off on a Monday," he offered.

* * *

_to be continued._


	2. Two

_Thanks to Swiftie22, Lady Cougar-Trombone, crazyinlove. sky15, amichele, AngelGoneDevil69, rockybluewigs and two guests for the reviews!_

* * *

_Two._

The letter induced more panic as the afternoon sun neared its resting place, and that negative excitement, now coming from both his siblings and his parents, had become rather superfluous for Leo. He had tried to reason with his brothers and sister earlier that telling his stepfather and his mother about it was not necessary. He wasn't too worried about the former since he knew he could be reasonable and may even find the underlying humor in the confused matter, but he felt the exact opposite when it came to the latter, knowing that her instincts would lead her to be more overprotective and less rational. Yet, with all the viable excuses, the shameful begging, and even sorry attempts to bribe them out of showing the note, the older children still easily chose their lopsided sense of duty to protect him and told their parents about it once they walked in the door.

So, instead of enjoying a nice ride to the park, he was stuck in the lab, cheeks resting on his palms as he sat on his desk while the '(Fun) Killers Squad'—a name he dubbed them that they didn't take lightly—worked hard to make sure that the fear they felt for his safety was not completely blown out of proportion.

"Donald, do you think it's even safe to take the kids to the company dinner?" Tasha asked after getting off the phone with the head of security of that night's event. "I don't know. I just don't feel comfortable with this."

"Look, honey. They're going to be alright, okay?" Donald expressed comfortingly, stopping his work for a moment to give his wife a reassuring smile. "We just have to make sure that this really is just a prank someone's playing." Then, in a mumble as he peered back into the scope, "Just some sick, twisted prank that someone's playing."

"Which is probably the case," Leo swiveled his chair around almost impatiently. "Guys, really—it's not that serious. As much as I would love to use this as a reason not to go to the big company party, I can't, because it's ridiculous!"

"How can you say it's not that serious, Leo?" Bree asked crossly. "According to that thing, you'll be dead Sunday before midnight!"

"Oh, please. A person this handsome doesn't die young," Leo said, smirking. "Plus, I can't go yet. Adam and I had been planning an all-out, boy's day out to celebrate Chase's graduation. I've been working hard to save money for that. It's going to be all Leo-funded and fun!" He grinned at Chase when he walked by. "You're welcome, bro."

Chase's only response was a pointed look. He handed Donald a sizeable Ziploc bag containing the deep red envelope before saying, "I was able to take the stamp off, and I only have to take out six more words from the card. There's a partial print on Leo's name. I'm running it through the database to find out whose it is."

Leo sat up. "Whoa. I didn't know you have the whole database in your system."

"Not all, but I've got some of it," Chase said.

Leo narrowed his eyes. "Then how can you cross-examine if you don't have the whole thing?"

Chase raised his eyebrows. "You're not the only one who knows how to hack," he said.

Leo sat back after making a face. "Actually, I thought I was the only one who has the guts to do it," he muttered to himself.

At that time, Tasha began talking to Donald about what they had to do to make sure that their night at home would be safe. Leo started to protest, to tell them to carry on what they had scheduled, knowing that everybody had been looking forward to the spring masquerade ball that his stepfather had planned for both his and his employees' families, when his phone vibrated. He frowned. Clandestinely, he pulled his phone halfway out of his pocket and read the message on it.

—_March 27, 2014, 5:43 PM—_

Mango tree be three

His brows wrinkled deeper.

"Leo. Did you hear me?" Tasha asked.

Leo looked up from his phone. "Huh? Oh, uh, yes." He sat up, a wide smile alit on his face. "You said everyone should get dressed because we're going to be late to the party."

Tasha shook her head. "No. I said I called your boss. I told her you can't come to work until next week," she said.

"What? Why?"

"You can't leave the house with _this_ hanging on your head," Donald firmly said as he raised the red envelope. "Not until the situation goes back to normal."

"Things _are_ normal, Big D," Leo insisted. "Look. Tonight we'll go to the masquerade; in a couple of weeks, Chase is going to get his refitted cap and his gown. In two months, he's going to graduate. Then, you know, years down the line, when you're old enough to retire, Chase is going to take over the company with Adam and Bree on the board of trustees while I continue to work at Best Buy to sell your stuff."

Donald glanced at him unhappily. He didn't appreciate how the boy was downplaying such a serious matter, but it bothered him more to hear that his stepson seemed to still doubt his place in the family. He decided that that would be addressed, but at a later time. "Nice try," he said instead. "You're staying."

Leo fought hard not to groan out in frustration. "Mom. Big D. Can't you just hear me out here?" he asked desperately. "This is my first job, and I love it. Unfortunately, I have a boss that will be more than happy to find a reason to fire me so she can hire her niece. Please. I'm begging you here. Don't give her that chance."

Adam shrugged from his place next to Chase and Donald. "Well, if she's really that bad, then you should take this as your ticket out," he said. He smiled. "And you can really do much better."

_Yeah. If I was a bionic teenager whose only job is to be a superhero,_ Leo thought sourly.

His phone vibrated again soon after. He drew it out halfway like the first time. He had to smother grin from emerging on his face when he read what it said.

—_March 27, 2014, 5:47 PM—_

UGH! DUMB AUTOCORRECT! I HATE THIS STAPLES THING!

—_March 27, 2014, 5:47 PM—_

STUPID! STUUUUUUUPID! I HATE THIS STUPID THING!

A few months ago, he would have been embarrassed to even look at the message sent to him by the person on the other side of conversation, especially with her tendency to unleash a slew of immodest words when she was frustrated. However, due to the effort he put forward, namely, programming her phone to change those words into something tamer and proper, he had been able to carry on a much better exchange.

There was also that one time when he nervously approached her to tell her how uncomfortable he felt because of her unkind words and uncanny ability to out-curse a sailor. Surprisingly, she agreed to tone it down and take steps to wash it out of her system. She said she was only doing it so she wouldn't get in trouble, but a part of him said that she was also doing it for him, which, he thought, was really nice.

"I think it's Trent who sent it," Leo chimed in, his mood remarkably changed into one of optimism.

Bree shook her head. "No, no. I don't think so," she said. "That boy may hate you, but I don't think he can come up with something like this." When Leo kept staring questioningly, she turned to Adam. "Adam, can you do something like this?" she asked.

Adam lifted his eyes up from staring at some indiscernible, faraway place. To the others, it was yet another evidence of the oldest Davenport's absentmindedness, but Leo's instincts compelled him otherwise. He had been noticing that habit of blanking out from the three of them lately, and it had been increasing in frequency. It made him wary and suspicious. He had told his stepfather about it. If it was a tell that Douglas, who was still out there, is trying to activate the destructive app coded within them, he thought it best if they prevented it before it was too late.

But when Donald checked, he found the program dormant. For safety precautions, they had worked on a much better encryption that would prevent the sly inventor from taking away Adam, Bree and Chase's freedom.

Still, even if things seemed well on the surface, Leo couldn't help but be on guard.

"Do what?" Adam asked.

Bree turned to Leo then. "And he's much smarter than Trent," she said.

"Plus, it's not him," Chase pointed out. "We checked his fingerprints first. It didn't match."

"You still have the rest of the football team to go," Leo said, setting his previous thoughts aside. "Then the basketball team, the soccer team, the girls' volleyball team…"

"Why would the girls' volleyball team be after you?" Adam asked.

Noticing his slip of the tongue, Leo grinned nervously. "I'm…too…cute?" he said.

He was met with eye rolls and scoffs.

The cyberdesk gave shrill beeps when something came up. Donald tapped on it, cuing it to display the results. "Found a match," he announced. "Jessi Evelyn Nash. Does that name sound familiar?"

Chase shook his head when his father looked at him. "Not that I know of," he said.

"Haven't met any Jessi," Adam said.

"Me neither," Bree said.

"No," Tasha responded. "Where's she from?" she asked.

Donald consulted the information on the holographic screen. "Chula Vista," he answered. "According to this, she's 14."

Four pairs of eyes shot towards Leo. Leo shrugged. "I don't know any Jessi," he said. "And I've only been to that place once, when Grandma got lost on our way to Venice Beach."

The room fell into a gradual deafening silence as everybody tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. While her husband planned another approach for a search and her three older children racked their minds for a short glimpse of the stranger in question, Tasha kept to herself as a past memory clawed persistently at the back of her brain. She could not pinpoint what it was. The name sounded very familiar, but she wasn't too sure. Oddly, something about Jessi Evelyn Nash's ineffaceable presence had her gut curling in knots.

Leo, already uninterested with the situation, sprang up on his feet from where he sat. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting ready," he said. "My James Bond tux is calling my name upstairs, and my Phantom mask is awaiting to make this awesome moneymaker—" he gestured to his face with a smirk— "look more awesome."

Donald was hesitant. He didn't want to leave the boy vulnerable for any attacks as he would be out in the open, but he also didn't want to cancel going to the event he had planned for months for the older children. It was supposed to be the first time Davenport Industries would officially meet Adam, Bree and Chase as his kids. Not only that, but it might also be one of the dwindling number of times he'd get to spend with his younger boy before he leaves for college.

He cared about Leo, but, from the stubborn look that the boy displayed, he had a hunch that both of them knew and understood what mattered more.

"Go. All of you get dressed," Donald said. "We're leaving in an hour."

Leo sauntered out of the lab, pleased with how everything turned out. Bree hesitantly walked off to the bathroom to prepare. On the other hand, Adam, for good measure, followed his little brother upstairs. Chase, obviously contradictory but maintaining speechlessness nonetheless, strode back to the smaller room down the hall to finish dismantling the letter.

Donald blew a breath, unsuccessfully convincing himself that all would be alright. He turned his attention next to Tasha. He gazed at her with a sad smile when their eyes met, unknowingly selling an assurance that he himself didn't buy. _It's going to be fine. We're all going to be okay._

Tasha barely returned the smile. _I don't know_, she seemed to reply. _I'm not sure about this time._

* * *

_to be continued. _


	3. Three

_Thank you very much to RomanianBionicGal, Swiftie22, AngelGoneDevil69, life among the dead, Lady Cougar-Trombone, rockybluewigs and 88keys for your reviews!_

* * *

_Three._

Leo tugged at his black tie, loosening its desperate cling around his throat. He knew the evening was still too young for him to start complaining about the things that discomforted him. It wasn't that he could not and would not in a heartbeat; it was that he could not and would not because his family had just started relaxing a bit more, truly enjoying their night.

When he looked up, he saw his mother swaying gracefully to the soft hums of the instruments playing somewhere not far, her eyes lost in his stepfather's eyes. In the middle of the dance floor, even amongst numerous couples, young and old alike, she stood out. It wasn't because of her beauty or the importance she seemed to have easily earned as the CEO's wife, but it was her evening dress. The subtle shine of the silver sown on it absorbed much of the little illumination the dining hall offered and reflected it powerfully, giving her the appearance of a star.

His stepfather twirled his mother around at that moment, causing her to shriek softly then laugh. Suddenly, he was reminded of the sun.

The sun dancing with a star.

Glancing around the room, he was given more reason to believe his observation. Attendees had unknowingly divided into separate clusters everywhere, and with their white shirts and colorful dresses contrasting against the dark walls and darker blue carpeting on the floor, they took the forms of constellations. Many constellations, two of which included each of his brothers.

At a far corner, a small group of younger girls, daughters of the other employees, huddled together, and the flashing lights from their cameras occasionally sent a beat through the expanse. The dim glow from their phones, meanwhile, barely lit their masked faces, but the composite energy was enough to create the illusion of a half-ring around their table.

As the music continued to play and the flicker of the earth-shaped prisms on the lights above brightened the room, Leo couldn't help but feel as if he was a spectator. As if he was an onlooker watching the universe come together, expand, shift, and dance in a mess of colors that followed a certain order as time went on.

Time that, if the letter was true to its words, he didn't have.

Yet, he knew he could not insist on taking this moment away from his family. He couldn't.

He wouldn't.

A sigh interrupted Leo's thoughts, and it surprised him how he had subconsciously kept track of how many times that sigh had escaped the same person. Seven. Seven times she had sighed. "A little louder, Bree," he said. "Massachusetts didn't hear you."

Bree glared at him from where she sat, three seats down to his right, almost a quarter of a way around the table. "This is so lame," she complained. "I don't understand why I couldn't invite Owen and Caitlin. I would be having a better time if they're here."

"I doubt that. Owen would have spent all night misinterpreting the masquerade theme as a symbol of pretention in the corporate world, and Caitlin, well…she's just too crazy."

"She is not," Bree responded defensively. "And he wouldn't. Okay? He actually likes things like these."

"Well, then, invite him over now," Leo said. "Some of the guests already split, and I'm sure that if you ask Mom, she'll find a way to let Big D let your boyfriend in."

"I wish I could," Bree said, "but it would be too last minute. It's almost eleven, and I don't think his mom would let him get out of the house this late." She frowned towards the centerpieces, the knuckle where her cheek rested slightly deconstructing the expression. "Plus, _Dad_ said we should keep our eye on you. We can't take any chances." She sighed. "Adam already took his turn, so now it's mine."

_Eight_, Leo counted before her last words registered to him. He swiveled around on his seat to face the dance floor fully. He didn't hold Bree's complaints of boredom against her mostly because he understood. Just to quench his, he had been silently playing a game his father taught him when he was little, when he admitted to his parents his weakness when it comes to numbers. He had been adding, subtracting, and multiplying all of the numbers he spotted around the room to, from, and with each other.

From his last count, everything amounted to a figure of twenty-six thousand, five hundred and four.

_A human calculator. Maybe I am bionic._

Still, it stung to hear that his siblings had been secretly taking turns in watching over him. That one of them felt forced to do it added salt to the injury. "I'm not three," he said neutrally. "I can take care of myself."

"How?" Bree asked.

Leo shrugged. "I'll figure it out," he said nonchalantly.

Bree easily recognized his disguised tone as an effect of her less-than-enthusiastic comment. Guiltily, she said, "Hey. I know you can. But come on, Leo. Humor us. If you were in our shoes, wouldn't you be overprotective, too?"

Leo turned around, his lips parting for a response. However, before he could speak, a sandy-haired waiter lowered down a glass of strawberry milkshake between them. He reached out for it after the waiter left.

Before he could touch the glass, Bree snatched it away. She smiled warmly. "How do you think I'd take it if something happens to you, Chump?" she asked.

"With the strawberry milkshake I specifically requested?" Leo answered sardonically. He made another attempt to get his beverage back, but Bree had already started drinking it.

He blew a breath in surrender.

When she was halfway finished, Bree suddenly looked down at the phone on her lap. "Oh, I gotta take this call," she said, her bright eyes focused on the name on the screen. "You mind if I leave? I'll just be out the hallway. I'll be very quick."

"Not too quick," Leo deadpanned. "There's too many people in here."

Bree rolled her eyes as she stood up, grinning when she got the joke. "Don't leave the table until I come back." On the way out, she weaved through the mass of people that stood in her way.

Soon, she was gone.

Leo turned his attention back to the room. He noticed how everything moved much more languidly at that instance than earlier. He suspected it was more than the mellow tune that forced the certain lull in the moment. He supposed it was the lateness of the evening. It made him wonder if it would be the proper to ask his mother if they could go home. He was exhausted, and he wanted to get as much sleep as possible before he began a new day in a few hours.

While scanning the room, he caught sight of Chase holding a quiet conversation with a small number of girls. He was grinning, but a thin veil of uneasiness underlay it. He didn't blame him. His brother had been under the mercy of the same teenage girls since the word spread that he was one of the company owner's son. Adam had been continuously showered by the same affection by other flocks of girls, though he strongly doubted his older brother had connected the dots yet why he and Chase were suddenly the kings of the night.

It was ironic how most of these girls belonged to employees who not too long ago called his mother a gold digger behind their boss' back.

Leo shook his head. He wondered if it would be too unkindly if he walked up to both groups and tell his brothers how the parents of their admirers viewed their own mother.

A blur clouding his periphery caused Leo to lift his eyes up. He was met with the sight of a girl dressed in a white ball gown. She was of medium build, not too slender. Locks of blond hair cascaded down her shoulders, highlighting the visually striking slopes. Besides the white watch wrapped around her wrist, no other jewelries adorned her. Not that she needed any; her deep blue eyes and the ghost of a curl on her rosy lips were enough to attract attention. Even the steel mask that hid the rest of her features couldn't contain what he perceived as grace.

"Won't you dance with me," she said to him rather than ask, but she spoke so softly, though still sternly, that he couldn't find it within reason to take offense.

Leo opened his mouth to talk. "Oh, I…" he said, and then glanced towards the exit where Bree had gone before turning back to her. "I mean, thanks. I appreciate the invite, but I kind of have to watch over my sister's—"

"You only have three more days, Leo Dooley," she said. "Surely you can bestow me the honor of having this last dance with you?"

A wrinkle drew together Leo's eyebrows. Apprehension rushed through him when he realized that the masked stranger in front of him concealed more than her identity. It made him extremely uncomfortable to feel her eyes piercing through his thoughts. It left him feeling exposed. He felt inclined to come to his family for help, but something about her rendered him contrary to the idea. "Who are you?" he asked instead.

The girl said nothing. She waited patiently, the smile illuminating her face unmoving.

Leo slowly stood up, not taking his eyes off her. He held out a hand in front of him. Her lips stretched out farther when she took it. He led her to the dance floor, towards the deep end of the ocean of people, where they could be alone.

They waltzed in silence, neither saying anything to the other for a while. They moved fluently, undisturbed by the presence of others surrounding them. The odd feeling that settled in the pit of his stomach, the feeling of wariness yet security, puzzled Leo. After twirling her around, which he suspected might have appeared odd to onlookers now that he noticed that she was a few inches taller than him, he began asking, "How'd you know?"

"About which?" she asked, willfully following the move of his feet.

"Who I am. About the letter," Leo answered.

"I know you through your actions, Leo Dooley," she said. "I know you because of what you are."

Leo frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're asking for an answer that you can find within yourself," she said. "You are smart. You can figure it out."

"Is that why you sent the letter?" Leo accused quietly. "Are you Jessi?"

"Names are just a social convenience. A convenience which I don't let myself or others afford."

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to stop talking like a dictionary," Leo blurted out of irritation. "I don't think you understand what's happening here. This is my life we're talking about, and I need to know. Can't you at least spare me the 'convenience' or whatever you want to call it to tell me who in the world you are?"

The tiniest of smirks appeared on her face. "I'm not saying I can't do it, I'm not saying you can't have it," she said, staring straight into his eyes. "All I'm saying is that you don't deserve it."

Leo's jaws locked. He had to look away. He recognized that the dead end answers were filling him with anger to the brim, and he had to contain his emotions before it spilled over. There was no use feeding more fuel to the fire; his father taught him that. As much as he would like to confront the mysterious person he danced with, he knew it would not be wise especially in his current temperament.

Plus, her answers seemed to have kindled his curiosity. His instincts told him that she did not deflect the questions merely out of pure superciliousness, but she aspired to move him to think, answering him without saying the words out loud.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw that Bree had already come back to her seat. He caught sight of her just when she was slumping towards the table, her right arm stretched out, her left arm serving as a pillow underneath her head. She didn't bother searching for him, so he supposed she had already seen him and had decided instead to express her boredom.

Leo looked back to the girl in front of him. She seemed to have been distracted by the same thing that caught his attention. Nonetheless, when her eyes rested back at his, she smiled warmly. "What is it that you want then?" Leo asked calmly.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I want," she said. "If I were you, however—I will be very brave. You need to be, especially in the days that are to come."

Leo's brows softly knitted.

"There is a certain sequence in nature, Leo Dooley. We at times find ourselves in it and out of it," she said. The music then stopped, cuing an interlude of applause. She suddenly leaned forward and then kissed him on the cheek. She smiled. "You will find me within it. If you look hard enough."

For Leo, the placidness momentarily surrounding them felt as if it lasted forever. Maybe it did, and they had been standing there for such a long time, in the space between spaces, a question facing another question. That is, until one of them fades out, like a light that the galaxy could not hold anymore.

The watch on her wrist glowed blue, calling both of their attentions. Suddenly, its ticking sounded louder. She glanced at it, and for the first time that night Leo heard her chuckle. She angled her hand so he could see the face. A Davenport watch. 11:28 PM, the time read. "He really has a strong hold on you. Doesn't he?" she asked.

After gracing him with one last smile, the girl in white walked away from him. The trail of her dress waved as she sauntered out, sending a beautiful ripple to disturb the peaceful image of the universe. She was a swan who had passed by, her blue eyes shining bright even if she had already vanished within the shadows of theoretical existence, to give him warning against the hands of time that threatened to submerge him to the same dark place.

A few minutes into a lively new song that beckoned all the younger ones to come forward, Leo became aware of his surroundings. He pushed past the mass of bodies that jumped and shouted recklessly along the beat of the music that pounded even through his ribs as he made his way back to the table. There, he found his sister, still at her place but now sitting up. She slouched weakly forward, her right forearm around her stomach.

He debated whether to tell her what happened. His family deserved to know, and it would be a betrayal of trust if he didn't inform them of the things he was told. Especially Bree, who was the first of them to express why the letter really bothered them.

Leo pulled his chair around to talk to her. However, before he could speak, he noticed through the dim lighting how ashen his sister was. Beads of sweat formed on her temple and around her neck, and her lips seemed to be turning blue. He anxiously rushed to the seat beside her. "Bree, are you okay?" he almost had to yell.

Bree lifted her eyes up at him, exhaustion marring her features. "I don't feel so good, Leo," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Leo frowned. "What do y—"

Dizziness overpowered Bree, causing her to fall forward. Leo caught her in time, but the space between them pulled them out of their chairs. The silverwares fell on the floor with a violent clink. "Bree!" Leo called out to her, seeing how her eyes were beginning to lose focus. He tried to sit her up against him, but her head lolled whichever way.

Then, Bree threw up, some of it spilling against his shirt and tie.

Fear overpowered any disgust. Bree had completely lost consciousness. He knew what would happen next, and it scared him.

He lowered her on the floor and turned her sideways. When she was positioned properly, he crawled some distance away from behind the table, just enough to be seen by the rest of their family who was still lost within the crowd. "Mom!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, his right hand not leaving Bree's shoulder. "Mom!"

A few people who heard him looked towards his direction, one of whom was Adam. The big grin on his face vanished when he saw the fear and alarm in Leo's eyes. He sprinted towards his direction, Chase following a second behind him, and soon found the situation Bree was in. "Oh, man—Bree!" He kneeled beside his sister then picked her up.

"Turn her sideways. She's going to throw up again, and she might choke on it," Leo said as he stood up with Adam.

Chase came forward and loosened Bree's mask to give her room to breathe as Adam fastened his arms around her.

"What happened?" Tasha asked manically as she and Donald arrived, both peering upon their children worriedly.

"I think she's poisoned," Leo answered.

"Poison? From where? How?" Chase asked.

"I don't…I don't know," Leo muttered, watching as Bree withered away.

"Come on, guys," Donald ushered all of them forward. "Let's go. We have to get home, now. Go to the car. Go, go."

They exited the dining hall swiftly, leaving behind a crowd of confused and concerned guests. Donald took Adam, Bree and Leo with him to ride the speedster, while Tasha and Chase rode together in a separate car. The travel back to their house was a blur. It didn't take long for Donald to reach the house, but even with their short travel Bree was not able to wait before retching again.

Rushing to the lab, Donald gave Adam orders on where to put Bree and what to do. Leo eagerly followed them to assist, but Donald stopped him before they could enter. "Go upstairs and get dressed," he told him.

"But I'm fine," Leo protested.

"No. Go upstairs, get dressed. I'll let you know when you can see her."

Leo wanted to insist being let in the lab, but Donald had already gone in and shut the door before he could do so. For a moment, he stared at the door, just underneath the three red rings that had been so familiar to him. The image of Adam straightening Bree into a table, her lips bluer under the lights, latched itself on his mind. He hoped it wouldn't be the last time he would see his sister alive.

He slowly made his way up to his room, his thoughts surprisingly stagnant. When he came in, he swiped his hands across a metal pad on the wall, causing a light to turn on. He drew out a clean shirt from his dresser drawer then headed to the bathroom. There, he moved in partial darkness. He peeled off his jacket and let it fall on the floor with a soft thud. He carefully unknotted his tie before taking off his shirt and the t-shirt underneath. He grabbed a hand towel then soaked it with warm water and soap so he could clean up.

He wondered how something like a poison could have eluded their notice. _His_ notice. He tried to recall all the food on Bree's plate, including the small portions of sweets both of them picked up and ate. None of them seemed harmful. With the exception of one or two items that he had, they consumed the same things. If it was any of those, shouldn't he and the others have been sick, too? There was a possibility that she came in contact with it while she stepped out to take that phone call, but there were other people standing out in the hallway with her. As far as he was concerned, no food or drink was served out, and Bree wouldn't have taken anything from a stranger. Their parents made sure they understood that they shouldn't do something stupid like that a long time ago.

What was it then?

He closed his eyes. _Think._ Flickers of moments came up: their conversation, the phone call, the girl in white, the dance, the kiss, the table.

Red. There was something faintly red sitting on the table, and it was the only thing that Bree had that he had not.

The strawberry milkshake—and it was meant to be for him.

Leo opened his eyes to look at himself in the mirror. Red; he was seeing it again. But it was not on a drink this time. He hastily turned on the lights to make sure he wasn't imagining it. When he saw it, he wished he could undo what he did.

**1 1 2 **

**11 9**

**4 7 5**

**10 9**

**Number's up,**

**Leo Dooley**

It was written all across the mirror, in the same red that colored the smudged memory of a kiss on his cheek.

* * *

_to be continued._


	4. Four

_Many thanks to Jillie chan, Swiftie22, Insecurity's Sanity, AlienGhostWizard14, rockybluewigs, Lady Cougar-Trombone, AngelGoneDevil69, Jayne, 88keys and an unnamed but still sweet guest for your reviews!_

* * *

_Four._

A dense fog of eerie silence loomed over the house during the early hours of the following morning. Donald and Tasha, both of whom were remarkably sleepless, moved around the house with a stealth that they unconsciously adapted to in hopes of not waking their children. Yet it was a hope that was, in fact, held out in vain. Despite their father's attempts to complete the tedious work of putting the puzzle pieces together at another room farther away from the lab, thoughts of what they were missing on, as well as overwhelming anxiety over the state of their sister, disquieted Adam and Chase.

It didn't help that they couldn't watch over her. The poison had weakened Bree's system so much that she couldn't even stand in her capsule on her own. After Donald made sure for the ninth time that all traces of the toxic chemical had been pumped out, he transported his daughter to a guest room upstairs, where she would be floors away from them.

They made several attempts to visit her, but Tasha had long forbidden them. She had warmly explained that to get better, Bree needed to rest. They did, too.

Adam and Chase both succeeded to get only partial rest, for they woke up every half an hour.

Leo purposefully isolated himself, meanwhile. Guilt permanently anchored his heart into the pit of his stomach, and the weight of it all kept him awake. His mother had coaxed him to at least try to sleep after she and his stepfather stopped by his room to ask him everything that happened, and he did comply. Yet, he found out soon after that it was a mistake.

For the short period of time he was asleep, he dreamed a frightful dream. He saw his room, exactly the way it was before unconsciousness claimed him: dark, with only a sliver of light coming in from his partially ajar door. But the illumination only led directly to the corpse on the floor. Her skin was the color of his father's tombstone—a sickeningly pale marble. Her hair was splayed around her head, like a dull wave of light emitting from a once bright star. Her lips were much bluer, and her unseeing eyes were focused only ahead.

Only on him.

Leo wanted to scream. He wanted to wake up, but his body couldn't move. He called to his parents, to his brothers, and then to his sister who stared morosely at his misery, but no one answered.

He willed himself to wake up. He convinced himself that he could do it. Then, he counted.

One. One. Two.

After he finally gained mobility and his mind stopped tricking him into seeing non-existent things in his room, he never went back to sleep again. Instead, he sat up, his back against the wall, his knees folded up, his forearms protectively crossed atop. He stared at the wall opposite him and imagined the red numbers that embedded themselves into even the most basic of habits such as counting.

One, one, two.

Eleven, nine.

Four, seven, five.

Ten, nine.

Leo contemplated upon it for hours to make sense of it. It wasn't a phone number. If it was really the Blue Swan (a moniker he chose for the blue-eyed girl in white), she wouldn't be easy on him. She seemed to regard him as a respectful opponent, so the answer to the riddle on the mirror must be something more complex.

Like coordinates or an IP address.

He checked, of course. They weren't. There were too many figures for it to be a clue to a specific location no matter how hard he tried to rearrange them.

He knew he couldn't give up. Someone had to be held accountable for what happened to Bree. Yet he couldn't afford to think about it anymore. The lack of answers frustrated him. Not only that, it also burdened him with much remorse whenever he recalled that moment when his sister took the poison that was supposed to be for him.

He knew well that they were past the critical period of the ordeal, but he couldn't shake the horrifying image his nightmare burned into his brain.

He had to see her.

Leo crawled out of his bed stealthily, careful not to make any noises that could alert their parents of movement. Momentarily, he felt anxious over the possibility that Eddy would tattle on him, but after making it out the door with no disturbance from the home system, he concluded that he didn't have to worry about any interference. Even a crucial situation such as one of the family members almost losing her life had not seemed to interest Eddy, as evident by his lack of effort in showing up anytime throughout the night. It made sense that the program would only view getting involved at that moment as a break in his consistent record of inconsiderateness.

Once he made a clear trek across the deserted hallway, he headed straight into the spare room where he knew Bree would be. He checked for their parents' presence one last time before going in.

It surprised him to find Bree awake. She was lethargically reclining upon the mountain of pillows behind her, her hands resting on top of the yellow comforter that covered her from the waist down. More colors, though not much, added some vibrancy to her features, which made the blank gaze affixed in her eyes more noticeable.

His gut churned, in the same way it always does whenever he saw them at that state.

"Bree?" Leo spoke to snap his sister out of it.

Bree blinked, as if awakened from a deep sleep, and then lifted her eyes up at him. She offered a weak smile, and it sufficed to allay his worries. "Hey," she said.

Leo cautiously took a few steps forward, smiling back. "You look haggard," he joked.

Bree chuckled, but it was notably labored. "Thanks," she said. "Those words really make a girl feel beautiful in the morning."

Leo took a seat at the foot of the bed, unsure whether a grin would be inappropriate or not. He turned to her uneasily. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

Bree sighed. "Like being run over by a thousand fire trucks while a branding iron is stuck in my stomach," she said.

Leo nodded. Soon, he found himself more interested by the stray thread hanging onto his house shoes. "I'm sorry," he said, his tone only slightly above a whisper.

"For what?" Bree asked.

"For what happened," Leo replied.

Bree shook her head. "It's food poisoning, Leo. It was the caterers' fault."

"No. It wasn't." Leo looked at her remorsefully. "My drink. Big D found traces of poison. Not enough to permanently, um, you know… But it could have caused serious damage. Your immune system counteracted it immediately. Thankfully."

Bree took a few minutes to take the information in. At the same time, she watched his saddened expression keenly. "So what would have happened to you if you'd gotten to it first?"

Leo's eyes communicated the answer. With the absence of bionics, he didn't stand a chance.

It would have instantly killed him.

"Then don't be sorry," Bree said as firmly as she could. "I did my job. You're safe. It's all I wanted."

Leo silently acceded, but he was still remarkably troubled.

With an encouraging smile, Bree spoke, "You know, if you're really feeling bad about it, you can do something for me."

Leo sat up. "Sure. Anything."

"Stop flipping out about this," Bree said.

Leo visibly deflated, but he understood. "I'll try," he said.

"And do you mind telling Owen that I'm sorry I couldn't answer his call on time? My phone was being weird, and when I tried to call him back, he wasn't answering."

Leo nodded. "I'd be honored," he said. He discerned afterwards how his prolonged stay wore Bree out. He stood up after giving her a genuine smile. "Well, I gotta run. If Mom finds me here, she'll never let me hear the end of it."

"Okay."

Leo walked away, his feet heavy with unsaid words. When he was halfway out of the door, he finally stopped. "Hey, Bree?" he turned.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For saving me."

Bree smiled. "It was my honor."

Leo grinned. Then, he left the room, his burden much lighter.

* * *

_to be continued._


	5. Five

_Surprise! Early update!_

_Thanks to Jillie chan, xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, Swiftie22, Insecurity's Sanity, Lady Cougar-Trombone, rockybluewigs, tennisgirl567, AlienGhostWizard14, and AngelGoneDevil69 for your reviews!_

* * *

_Five._

A strong breeze swept through the mostly empty park, causing a few leaves to fall off the trees. It propelled the tandem of afternoon joggers trotting nearby to move faster. Meanwhile, the circle of four adults standing farther into the open space remained uninterrupted in their conversation, save for the woman in the gray hoodie who shivered with a laugh before crossing her arms tightly.

Leo, on the other hand, instinctively cowered back to the comforts of his jacket. He hid the lower part of his face within the cozy pocket created by the collar before leaning back on the tree that had been a hiding place these past three months.

He knew it was stupid to come out there with the weather in slight disarray, but he needed to find solitude and that semblance of what was normal before he could go back to facing the music. He trusted that just fifteen minutes of doing something so trivial, like reading or discussing comic books and graphic novels, would be enough.

There were just too many things in his mind that he needed a break from.

He believed that his conscience was troubled and his thoughts were occupied abundantly enough, but the additional problems that presented themselves earlier that day proved him wrong. When he finally got the chance to relay Bree's message to Owen, the artist had given him a strange look. He said he didn't call Bree the night prior since he knew that she would be busy. When asked specifically if he was sure he hadn't accidentally called his girlfriend a few minutes before eleven, Owen checked his phone then showed his call records to him.

No outgoing calls to Bree.

Owen had asked if there was something he needed to worry about or at least do. He had told him there was none. It wasn't a lie. Bree seemed to be getting better, and it wasn't like her little brother's safety was any of the older boy's concern.

After being informed that the 'food poisoning' was under control, Owen accepted happily and promised to call Bree after school.

Everything was alright in his world, and somehow Leo envied that.

He had not quite gotten over the mystery of Bree's nameless caller when something else came up. Adam and Chase had been hovering over him almost the whole day, so they were there to watch when Principal Perry handed him an unusual arrangement of sunflowers, delivered, she said, earlier that morning. The bright yellow petals greatly contrasted against its purpose and against the black ribbon that decorated it. Still, the message was clear, and he was sure even Principal Perry understood it.

A small bouquet of funeral flowers, dated for Monday, dedicated to the Davenport Family for the loss of their beloved Leo Dooley.

The anger that radiated from both Adam and Chase didn't come as surprising to Leo, which, ironically, was what really surprised him.

Although, the cruelty and morbidity of the situation was turned down a notch when his brothers heatedly confronted Trent, who was at the time in the middle of humiliating his own students in gym class. He knew it shouldn't be funny, but when Adam yelled at him to stop with all the death threat pranks, Trent's eyes grew wide, especially when he caught a glance of someone in particular sitting in his class. Leo didn't have to turn around to see who it was that frightened the tough bully; he already knew.

What amused him further was the way Trent almost begged to be discredited of the accusation. He gave every reason under the sun for them to believe that what they confronted him with was none of his doing. He even apologized despite knowing that it was not his fault just so he could prove to them that he was not guilty.

Adam and Chase's bewildered reactions, of course, were the cherries on top of that very consoling bowl of ice cream.

Leo checked his watch anxiously before searching around the park. _Come on. You said you'd be early._ _I can only fly under the radar for so long before Adam and Chase find out I ditched them._

Through his desperate search, his eyes caught sight of a familiar spot. He stared. He remembered clearly what happened there last summer, right on that place some yards away where three trees seemed to converge upon a wooden bench. He had been waiting for a classmate to plan and discuss their physics project that afternoon when he noticed a woman standing by the bench, her short, curly brown hair blowing in the wind. She was clutching her purse to her side while trying to smooth down her floral dress. Perhaps sensing his gaze on her, she looked up, and it was then he recognized her. She worked at a bakery near the school and had always been pleasant to students exhausted from their day. Her kindness had moved her time and again to bake fresh batches of cookies for them, no charge.

He had smiled and waved at her due to that—an act of gratefulness, he now supposed.

As he stared, he realized that what he perceived to be a corresponding smile in her face was an illusion. Her expression was blank, and she was not seeing him.

Before a frown could settle on his features, she had fallen to the ground and had started seizing. He sprinted towards her without second guessing himself. Lessons in First Aid taught him exactly what to do. Afterwards, he called for an ambulance and then sat by her to wait.

She came to before the medics got there. When she looked at him, he smiled at her. He knew that seizures tend to leave victims confused and disoriented, and the best he could do to help was assure her. _Hey, Gretchen,_ he recalled greeting her calmly so as to allay the fright she probably felt. _Don't be scared. Help is coming. We know each other from the bakery. We're practically friends, so you're safe. Okay?_

She didn't respond, but he expected that. The absence of fear in her eyes was the only reply he needed.

Leo recoiled further into his jacket as another gust of wind swept by. That was seven months ago, and people had not become any kinder since then. The woman from the bakery had another seizure eight weeks afterwards, but she found herself among harsh and unfeeling people. She had fallen and unfortunately hit her head on the sidewalk as she waited for the bus. The first of the passersby to show any concern didn't come until fifteen minutes later.

By the time the medics got to her, it was too late.

It had bothered him very much when they were given the news. Who would have thought that a few more months after that, he would be the one who could be facing the same outcome?

"Aha! There you are! We've been looking all over for you."

Leo quickly swiveled towards the familiar voice. He clumsily stood up from his seat with an uneasy laugh. "Hey…guys," he said awkwardly as Chase and Adam advanced towards him. "What are you doing here?"

"Like Chase said, we've been looking for you," Adam said unhappily. He was upset and notably disappointed. "Why would you do that? You ditched us. We're supposed to be watching after you."

Leo snuck a quick look around. The coast was clear. Still, the possibility of them finding out discomforted him. "Look, Adam, Chase. I'm sorry. I won't do it again." Ushering them away towards the direction of Adam's car, he said, "Why don't we go home now? I promise I won't leave again. If we go home. Now."

"No, no, no," Chase resisted Leo's pushing, using his forearm to get the boy's hand off his shoulder. Leo stopped, and so did Adam. "You know that's not gonna happen until you tell us why you lied to us. Did you find out something about the letter? Are you trying to hide it from us?"

"Wait. What? Lie?" Leo asked defensively. "I didn't lie to you."

Adam laughed deridingly. "You didn't?" he asked. "You told us you were going to a club meeting! Chase and I waited for you at school. We would have waited longer if not for a kid in your math class telling us you already took off."

"I did go to a meeting!" Leo said. "Well, I was supposed to, but I guess we're going to have to reschedule."

"Oh, please," Adam said. "A club meeting? In the park? In the middle of March? Do you really think we'd buy that?"

"I _have_ been here for almost half an hour," Leo mumbled.

Chase crossed his arms. He shook his head. "I think there's another reason he came here," he said to Adam, not taking his eyes off Leo. He observed the apprehension that greatly affected his little brother's posture and his unwillingness to look at them. A knowing smirk emerged on his face when he came to a conclusion. "He's here to see someone."

Leo attempted to put on a better façade but knew that it would fail miserably.

Adam frowned from Chase to Leo. "Someone who sent him the letter?"

Chase shook his head. "No. Not quite," he said. He blew a breath contentedly. "He's here to meet a girl."

An expression of understanding gradually lit Adam's face. Soon, he, too, was grinning. "Oh," he said. He shook his head. "Hm. Leo, Leo. Really?"

Leo chose not to respond even if he was squirming with discomfort under his brothers' prying stares. He quickly thought of ways to successfully convince them to leave.

"You've got to be completely smitten with this girl for you to go this far," Chase hypothesized.

"Go easy on him, Chase. He's in love," Adam said. He patted Leo on the head. "Dude. I know how that is."

"No kidding," Chase said. "When Ayanna comes around, you're like a helpless little puppy."

Adam nodded. "Yeah. She does that to me," he said.

Leo sighed. "Guys. Can we go now? It's super windy. I'm freezing," he said. He tried to push them ahead, but Adam and Chase moved out in unison that he missed.

"Oh, no. I think it's time we meet Mystery Girl," Chase said. He rubbed his hands together almost too malevolently. "Ooh. The suspense is a killer!"

Leo glared. "Wrong choice of words."

The grin fell off Chase's face when he understood.

"You know, I feel like it's that new girl. The one who moved in from Indiana?" Adam guessed aloud. "What's her name again? Estrella La Costa?"

"Oh, yeah," Chase chimed in the teasing. "The freshman. She's a pretty girl."

"Ooh, but she's a cheerleader. She's popular, so she probably won't want to have anything to do with Leo. No offense."

"None taken," Leo said. "Now let's go home."

"_Or_," Chase said, "it could be that girl from Calculus class. Tara Cheng?"

Adam nodded slowly. "She's more in his league. Yeah. She could be. She's gorgeous, but she's a shy girl. Smart, funny."

"Rosie Jacobs is smart and funny, too."

"But she's like a model. She's too pretty and she dresses too nicely."

Chase quirked his eyebrows. "Why else would Leo endure this weather?"

"Good point," Adam agreed.

"It could also be Deane Hunt or Vivian Wills or Pam Castle."

"What about Gabriela Mason?" Adam suggested excitedly. "She's nice, beautiful, friendly, smart."

"Oh, and she's cool, too," Chase said. "She bakes cupcakes for everyone in home room every month, and I heard she volunteers a lot at the homeless shelter downtown."

Adam gasped. "Maybe she can bring us cupcakes whenever she visits Leo!"

"Hopefully," Chase said with a smile. He nodded at Leo. "She's a really sweet girl."

"Don't know if I'm much of a sticky sweet sap," someone spoke from behind them, "but I can be pretty funny when I want to be."

Leo caught sight of her and sighed. They had reached the point of no return, and there was nothing he could do.

Adam and Chase, particularly Chase, easily recognized the voice. They swiveled around to face her, both half-dreadful.

Behind them, wrapped in a deep green windbreaker, stood Kerry Perry, her arms crossed, her gaze rock solid. She smirked. "'Sup, pinpricks?"

* * *

_to be continued._


	6. Six

_Many thanks to rockybluewigs, TheBritishWannaBe, Swiftie22, AnnabethChase23, 88keys, Jillie chan, Adeo1234, AlienGhostWizard14, xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, and Lady Cougar-Trombone for your reviews last chapter!_

_One small note before we start. Someone brought up a really good question last chapter regarding whether this story is in canon with_ The A-Bionic Chronicles. _I have responded that it's actually not. There are a lot of similar elements (like the inclusion of Ayanna and Kerry), but you'll find that there are more differences. :)_

_Please enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

_Six. _

The cacophony of heated accusations and raised voices coming from the spare room down the hallway resonated throughout the whole house. Where it was concentrated, the noise had become too unbearable that even Eddy had surrendered in trying to silence those involved. He had employed as many distractions as he could think of to get them to settle down, from the sound of a blow horn to a loud whistle, but they were too determined to keep talking on top of each other that, for the sake of his own sanity, he had opted to shut himself down.

Meanwhile, those involved wouldn't let up, including Bree, whose still weakened disposition did not stop her any from letting her anger rip on her younger brother. Chase's disappointment made it worse, and it was evident that both were fueling each other's antagonism against what they perceived to be an act of betrayal.

Adam, on the other hand, sat back and just watched after realizing that he had no reason to be involved.

Leo followed suit, but only because he knew Bree and Chase would never give him a chance to explain.

After what seemed like hours, Donald and Tasha came in the room, the former visibly upset at seeing their children yelling at each other in a room where it should be silent and restful, the latter appearing worried. "Guys! What are you doing?" Donald asked crossly. A glare from him abruptly stopped everything. "You're supposed to let Bree rest!"

Chase stepped forward. "We're sorry, Mr. Davenport," he said. Then, he darted a look back at Leo. "But I just thought she should know about Leo's little meeting after school."

"Meeting?" Donald asked, turning his gaze towards Leo.

Leo shifted uncomfortably.

"Yeah," Adam answered with a growing grin as he leaned comfortably on the wall. "He even left after school without letting me or Chase know. Care to guess who she is?"

"She?" Tasha repeated. An excited smile bloomed on her face. "Leo, you're seeing someone again? Do I know her mother?"

"No," Bree answered for him. "But you do know her aunt very well."

"Her aunt?"

"Mm-hmm," Bree said. "Teresa Cherry Perry."

"Perry? As in Principal Perry?" Tasha asked, her tone quickly changing into one of disapproval. "Wait. You're not talking about that little rascal who wrote 'lies' in red Sharpie all over my presentation board during Career Day, are you?"

"Bingo," Adam said.

Tasha glared at her son.

Donald had to cover his mouth with his hands as a laugh threatened to come out. "So—" he began but had to stop as a snicker threatened to escape from him. "So you're dating a Perry?"

Tasha arched her eyebrows. "Oh, no, he's not," she said firmly. "You're not gonna be with that girl, Leo. She's trouble, just like her aunt. I don't want you anywhere near her."

Leo sighed exasperatedly. "She's not, Mom," he said as convincingly as he could. "I don't know why everybody's getting so worked up about this."

"You don't know why?" Bree narrowed her eyes. "She had single-handedly ruined at least half of my junior year. Mine and Caitlin's. She's a brat, she's a bully, and as your mom so eloquently put it, she's trouble!"

"Okay. I'll admit that Kerry can be a little over the top sometimes, but she's working on it," Leo bargained. "Plus, you two should actually be glad that I'm kicking it with her."

"Yeah? And why is that?" Chase asked sardonically.

"Well, has she been bothering you two lately?" Leo asked.

Bree and Chase exchanged pensive looks. "No," they said in unison.

Leo leaned back on his chair. "You're welcome," he said plainly.

Tasha was intent to speak her mind on the matter and to make known her decision, but the resonance of the house phone ringing down the hallway halted her. By the second ring, when no one moved to answer it, she told her son, "We're not done talking about this." Then, she strode out of the door.

A veil of stillness overcame the remaining people in the room until the ringing stopped. When it did, their attentions snapped back on the issue at hand. "You can't date Kerry Perry, Leo," Bree spoke up, her tone calmer yet still serious.

"Can and had been," Leo replied stubbornly.

Chase shook his head after failing to make sense of it. "How did this even happen?" he inquired. "How did you guys even meet?"

"Three months ago. Sicky Vic's Manga Club. The one you, me and Adam were supposed to check out," Leo answered.

Adam's mouth shaped into an O as he recalled, while Chase groaned when he realized the part he played in the irreversible formation of a disagreeable bond.

"Kerry and I were the only ones to show up since Sicky Vic was, well, sick, and you two bailed on me to go to Ayanna's debate team pizza party," Leo continued. "It was pretty uncomfortable at first. We were kind of just sitting there. After about two minutes of just looking at anything but each other, she stood up to leave, but I saw that she brought a copy of the ninth volume of _South of Space_, which I've been trying to look for since it came out last year, and I asked her where she got it from. She told me about the new comic book place downtown. Then she asked if I read _South of Space_. We talked. The rest is history."

Bree fumed at Adam and Chase. She clapped her hands, and although it wasn't as forceful and exaggerated as she intended, it was still loud enough to express her irritation. "See what happens when you go to pizza parties? You ruin your family's lives!" she said. She winced as a sharp pain cut through her midsection. It caused her to slightly slump forward, her forearms instinctively coming together as an outward shield for her stomach, but it didn't deter her glower at her brothers.

Donald walked towards Bree's bed and sat beside her. "Okay. Calm down," he said as he helped her ease back on the pile of pillows. "That's enough yelling for the day, Bree. You're not doing yourself any favors by getting riled up about Leo's ironic love life."

Though concerned about the pain Bree was under, Leo couldn't help himself from making a face upon hearing his stepfather's comment.

After Bree had rested back and the evidence of pain had mostly fled her bettering features, Adam spoke again. "If you guys had been together, how come we didn't know?" he asked Leo.

Leo hitched a shoulder. "Having three bionic siblings and an inventor stepdad kinda made keeping things on the down low easy," he said. "And Kerry's not a let's-let-everybody-know-about-us type of chick, too. In fact, I don't even know if we know what we are. She's not very high maintenance, which, I guess, is why I like hanging out with her."

"So…when you would leave to go somewhere on the weekends," Chase asked, "you're with her?"

"Not all the time, but pretty much."

"So the trips to the park before you go to work…" Chase prompted.

Leo nodded. "That same spot where you found me. She would bring a few of her graphic novels, I'd bring mine, and then we'd sit there and talk about them or just read a bit until it's time for me to go."

"And the friend's family dinner you went to?" Adam asked next.

"Her mom was in town. I went with them to that vegan restaurant near the mall."

"What about the Sunday at the basketball court?"

"Basketball court?" Leo frowned.

"You said you were going to the ring," Chase expounded.

The creases on Leo's eyebrows furrowed more. Soon, he understood. "Oh! I didn't say ring; I said rink," he clarified with a soft laugh. "Ice skating. We went with her friends. All of them seemed to be okay with me except Keira, but Kerry said she's always been the grumpy grandma of the bunch."

"What about the concert you and your grandmother went to two weeks ago?"

"Kerry's piano recital, which was kind of like a concert," Leo said. "It was nice. Grandma enjoyed it."

"Wait. Your grandmother knows you're seeing this girl?" Donald asked amusedly.

Leo nodded. "I told her after the first month. She wasn't on board at first. Then she met her, they bonded over some 60's show and voila! Instant friends."

Donald laughed. "Oh, Rose," he said under a contented sigh. "I think Tasha's not gonna be very happy when she finds out about this."

Chase sighed, ignoring the last remark. He shot Leo a quick glare. "Great. You've just widened our search radius for suspects from Mission Creek High to the whole state of California," he told him.

"And all the correctional facilities around the whole country," Adam added with a grin.

Leo rolled his eyes. The resentment towards the girl he liked had surpassed the limit of being tiresome. Accepting the fact that there was nothing he could do to justify his choice would be much easier, so he opted to do just so.

The others had detected his weariness and so, although they weren't intending to, backed down from heaping any more bitter words towards the young girl who was not even present to stand up for herself. Not that that mattered, of course, but their younger brother's temperament indicated that they had upset him.

The dense wall of muteness that had befallen the five of them was only broken down by Tasha's arrival. The sustained disapproval that they expected to read from her expression failed its existence, and it disillusioned them. Instead, they were made aware of something much more alarming and worrying as was etched on the unreadable light frown that she wore.

"Tasha?" Donald spoke up first albeit anxiously. "What's wrong?"

Tasha lifted her eyes up at them. "You remember about the name you guys got yesterday? When you lifted off the print from Leo's name?" she asked.

Chase stood up straighter, his interest piqued. "Yeah?"

"Well, the name sounded familiar to me, but I wasn't too sure. So I called one of the researchers at the news station to do some digging for us. That was just her who called, to get back with me with what she found. And, um…" Tasha paused to rub off the chill slinking through her arms. "Jessi Evelyn Nash has been dead for three years."

The revelation immediately affected a ripple of reactions. Leo's expression was indecipherable. Adam appeared mortified. Chase and Donald brooded, the wheels of their minds turning to comprehend the nonsensical piece of information.

Bree refused to believe what she heard. "Dead? How is that…?"

"I know," Tasha said. "I don't know how, but… Police reports say she is. She went hiking with her foster parents somewhere in Colorado summer of 2011. The couple said she fell off a cliff, but people suspect they offed her, pushed her off to make it look like an accident. They never found a body, but they had enough evidence to know she's gone."

"Enough evidence? Like what? Your researcher has to be more specific," Donald said.

Tasha gave him a saddened look. Specifics _had_ been given, but it would be too gruesome and disheartening to disclose in front of the children.

Everyone withdrew to their own thoughts, mostly due to their refusal to regard Leo since it could only worsen the dread they all felt. Tasha, although, was an exception. She stared longingly at her son. She wanted to hug him, not only because of his confused and lost state, but also because she wanted to keep him in her embrace until the danger passed. She may not fully understand why things were happening the way they were or how, but she knew that there was no other thoughts worse than losing her child.

Eddy opted to materialize on the screen at that instant, his trademark sarcastic grin plastered across his face. "Ooh. What could a dead girl possibly want with a little pest like you?" he asked, resounding a question that echoed in the back of everybody's mind.

* * *

_to be continued._


	7. Seven

_Many thanks to Jayne, AnnabethChase23, Lady Cougar-Trombone, 88keys, Swiftie22, AlienGhostWizard14, an unnamed guest, xxWasabiWariorAlertxx, Jillie chan, MoonlitShadowoftheHumanSoul, rockybluewigs and AngelGoneDevil69 for your reviews!_

_I'm off to a writers' camp in a few days, guys, but I'm hoping it won't affect the regularity of updates. :)_

* * *

_Seven._

Leo leaned back on the customer service counter with a sigh. Willa, their thirty-something year old manager, had walked off to her office more than half an hour ago, fussing under her breath about having been bothered to retrieve his 'dumb check,' which only came about because of her begrudging sense of obligation, and she hadn't been back since. He sincerely believed that she was testing his patience on purpose due to that ever applicable reason of her disliking him. It could not have been anything else. The whole store was nearly deserted, save for a few other employees, Adam, and three or four other customers who were lost within the aisles of gadgetries and office equipment, so she was definitely not held up by inquiries. There was a possibility that someone higher up had called her office and had taken her attention, but everyone in the staff knows that she rarely answered her personal landline when they neared closing time under the pretense that she was out and about. So that could not have been it either.

He had thought about leaving several times, but experience had taught him that doing that would give her more reason to have an aversion to him.

His periphery alerted him of an approaching figure. Turning towards it, he saw Adam rushing towards him with a wide grin, holding up an insulated bottle holder in the shape of a shirt. "Leo! Leo, look! I found Chase the perfect graduation gift!" he said, dangling the powder blue and white object in front of his younger brother's face.

Leo promptly swatted it away.

Adam stared at it thoughtfully. "Should keep him warm from the New York weather, right?" he asked. Then, with a mischievous smile, "Which one are you going to again? They have a few more colors back there."

Leo shook his head. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I think you're just doing that because you don't like the idea of Chase leaving," he said. "You miss him already."

"Psh! Oh, please. We'll see him almost every day even after he leaves," Adam said. "It's a break more than anything."

Leo's orbs trained immediately towards the tenth of an inch that Adam's smirk didn't reach and read it as the affirmation to his theory. His brows rose challengingly. "Sure," he said.

"Well, if we're not ready to leave yet, I think I'm going to go back there," Adam switched topics with false easiness. "Jen's waiting for me to choose another gift from the rack. Text me when you're done." He turned around thereafter, vanishing within the maze of shelves in seconds.

A smile stretched across Leo's face. His older siblings' attempts of denying a matter they had long confided in him both amused and bemused him.

The solidarity that found him once again forced him towards the mercy of his beleaguering thoughts. His skin crawled upon the remembrance of his mother's cautionary discovery. A dead girl, writing to him about his imminent death. The events of Thursday night had already increased his gauge of consternation to a considerable degree; he didn't need paranoia to collaborate with it, too. He knew letting those things get to him would only prove counterproductive, but he could not help it. After the incident with Bree's mysterious call, the poisoning and the note in red lipstick on his bathroom mirror (a fearful spectacle that Eddy, after he asked in secrecy earlier, promised was inexplicably deleted from the recordings in the house that night by an outside source), the confidence he had in the beginning that he would survive the threat unscathed became bleaker and bleaker by the minute.

The fact that he believed that a most realistic and formidable foe than the dead—the living—was out for him made him all the more wary.

However, Leo also understood that any negative conclusions and emotions had to be hidden. Everyone in his family had been jumping to and from different degrees of the panic spectrum since it all began. He had to act as the buffer. He needed to. So he would.

"Leo _D!_ What's up, man?"

Leo swiveled around to face the counter and found his workmate extending a hand, grinning at him. He amiably slapped his hand on the other boy's before shaking it though he wondered how a bushy haired teenager with a built of a grizzly bear surpassed his notice. "Nothing much, Ringo J," he replied.

Ringo groaned. "There's that name again," he said. "Why do my parents have to be such Beatles fans?"

Leo laughed. "Sorry," he said. "What's up, RJ?"

Ringo shrugged. "Oh, nothing much, either," he spoke while stacking a few boxes behind the counter. "Willa's been working everybody like her personal mules. I can't wait to get out of here."

"Nothing interesting, huh."

"Not today. Well…we did have someone come in to complain about her new television."

"Oh, yeah? How'd that go?"

"She said the colors across her HD are messed up," Ringo replied. "I mean, we checked and all, and it _is_ messed up, but I'm not sure if her warranty covers it."

Leo frowned. "Why not? If it came that way, shouldn't the store take it back?"

"No, because for one, the type of damage is not included on the warranty, I don't think. And two, it's her kid's fault that it's like that," Ringo said. "Want to guess what he did to mess up the colors?"

Leo shook his head with a small smile. He was too tired for the guessing games that the aspiring inventor regularly threw his way.

"Magnets, man! What's wrong with you?" Ringo answered too loudly. "Sheesh. For a stepson of a genius inventor, you're pretty bad at this."

Leo bit back a sarcastic remark. "I guess I a—"

"That's why you're sticking to sales instead, isn't it?" Ringo grinned. He nodded before resuming his work. "I don't blame you. It's a good choice if you're not predisposed to the field of science and technology. Sales is good. We make money from good sellers."

Leo stared at him pointedly. _We—_that ever present divisive word that Ringo uses to diminish him had yet to fail in stepping on his nerves. "Yes," he said instead through gritted teeth.

Ringo, though, remained oblivious of his reaction. "Hold up. Willa told us your parentals called to tell her you couldn't make it to work the rest of the week," he said. He brooded while scanning his face. "You don't look sick. What's up?"

"Family crisis," Leo muttered crossly.

"Oh, man. It's not Mr. Davenport, is it?"

"No."

Ringo chuckled out in relief. "Oh, good," he said, his palm flattened against his chest. "Donald Davenport's probably one of the greatest minds in the history of the world. We definitely don't want to lose him."

_You and him see eye to eye,_ Leo thought acridly.

An almost supercilious leer formed on Ringo's face as he nudged Leo with his elbow. "And, uh, he still has to see those blueprints I showed you, right?" he asked.

Leo smiled weakly as a consolation and vague acceding, but he didn't try any harder. Not that he had any interest to.

"So, what brought you by?" Ringo asked.

"Ashley's having trouble compiling the inventories. She called me to ask for help. I was out, so I made a quick pit stop."

"Oh. Okay," Ringo said. A beat later, he asked, "Hey. Who's that guy with you?"

"My stepbrother."

"Is he Mr. Davenport's kid?"

"Oldest."

"Oh, that's so cool! You know, I didn't even know he had kids until you mentioned it to me, which is weird because I've read every profile there is on him. Like I said before, I'm not being a creepy stalker. Just interested in learning about my role model, you know?" Ringo rambled. "What's your stepbrother's name again?"

"Adam."

Ringo nodded pensively. "Adam Davenport," he repeated. "Huh. Kind of a strange name."

Leo stared at him steely. "Yes, it is, Ringo James," he said.

"I didn't mean it like that," Ringo declared. "It's just talk. You understand, right?"

Leo responded by turning his attention to seeking for any appearance at all from Willa or Adam from the aisles.

"Anyways. I just thought I'd ask," Ringo said. "I saw him lurking around earlier. I asked if he needed any help, but he said someone's already got him."

"Yeah. Jen."

Ringo frowned. "Jen? Who's Jen?"

Leo stood up straighter before turning around. "Isn't there someone in the staff named Jen?" he asked.

Ringo's eyes grew wide as he pondered, the corner of his lips bending down in a pout. He shook his head slowly. "Not that I know of," he said.

A blinding red light burst forth somewhere in the back of Leo's mind. His instincts dictated that he search for Adam, and he immediately jumped upon the task. He took out his phone when he saw no movements from anyone in his line of sight, his thumb quickly perusing the contacts for his older brother's number.

Ringo detected the urgency and was moved to offer help. "I mean, is he sure the person helping him works here?" he asked.

Leo lifted his phone up to his ear after he clicked on Adam's number. "Yeah. He would have told me if it was just some girl," he said anxiously.

"Okay… What about the name? Jen. Does he know any Jen's from school?"

"He would have said that," Leo replied in irritation when the phone rang the fifth time.

"Jen's not a girlfriend."

"No."

Ringo thought further. "Is Jen short for anything? Like Jennifer, Jenna, Jenalyn…"

Leo shook his head. No answer from the other end. He doubted he even heard Adam's annoying ringtone for him.

"Ooh! Maybe he thought he saw Jen as her name but it's really a logo for a company. An acronym, maybe? J.E.N?"

Leo's blood curdled at the suggestion. A helpful girl named J.E.N.

Jessi Evelyn Nash.

And she had been in the store with them the whole time.

"Adam!" Leo called loudly enough as he sprinted from row to row around the store. Many empty aisles greatly increased the alarm inside his head and considerably tripled the weight of the lead weighing down his stomach. Neither his search nor his attempt at calling bore any fruit.

Outside, he figured.

He hoped.

"Dooley, wha—?" he heard Willa nagging as he sped past the Customer Service desk. "What are you doing running around in my store?"

The manager's sour attitude faded into ignorance as Leo exited into the clear Californian night. He slowed down and gradually came into a halt as he scanned Adam's car for any movements inside. He narrowed his eyes. No moving shadow, no smoke emitting from the exhaust.

Leo frowned. "Where'd you go?" he muttered as he sought.

He dialed Adam's number again, his mind already enumerating several reasons for the older boy's absence. He waited with a little more patience as it rang.

A misstep, as his focus shifted from his surroundings to the call, from the sudden change in another car parked a few yards away which directly faced his vulnerable location.

Its engines turned on silently when Adam's phone rang the third time.

_"Hey, hey! This is Adam! Sorry I missed your call. Just leave your message after the beep, and I'll try to get back with you as soon as I can. Well…if this is Ayanna, hi, baby! I'll try to get back with you sooner. If this is Mr. Davenport or Tasha, I'll get back sooner, too. If this is Bree, eh, you may have to wait a few hours. If this is Chase—"_

Leo huffed as it beeped. "Adam. You seriously did not leave me, did you? I've…"

As headlights flooded a path towards him, an engine's growl breaking forth, Leo's periphery warned him of the danger. He stared at the car charging onwards in horror, particularly at the small details he could make of the girl at the driver's seat. He willed himself to move.

Something within him collapsed when every fiber of his body disobeyed, leaving him permanently cemented on his place.

He was thrown forward as a strong force pushed him out of the way. His sights blurred for but a moment, but the echo of tires screeching and of reinforced metal hitting something didn't escape his senses.

He rolled over and sat up, just in time to see Adam's body settling helplessly into the ground, the vehicle driving away out of the parking lot.

_"Adam!"_

Leo's mind raced as he kneeled beside his brother. Adam's head turned so slowly to the other side, and all Leo could hear was the tremor within the nerves of his own brain, beating upon his desperate plea for his brother not to die. His head swam as he peered upon his brother's broken features, the familiar grin gone from his lips and replaced with cuts and bruises.

So many cuts and bruises.

Upon trained impulse, Leo groped for a pulse in Adam's wrist. Thready, almost non-existent, but it was still there.

He sought for his phone and found it a few meters away from him. He snatched it out of the pavement and quickly dialed his stepfather's phone number, his fingers creating desperate trails upon the nearly shattered screen. By the time he sat back with Adam, Willa, Ringo and a few other employees had crowded out, their faces aghast from the horrifying scene outside.

"Don't touch him!" Leo commanded angrily as hands reached out towards Adam, and it effectively stopped them from helping.

Their touch could do worse damage, he knew, just like his could. He wanted very much to shake Adam awake, to make sure he was alive under all the injuries, but he couldn't. He could end his life permanently by doing that.

_"Leo?"_ came a voice on his phone.

"Big D, please. Help. You have to help me," he said, his voice shaky as he gauged Adam's breathing.

_"What—what's the matter? Where are you and Adam?"_

"Where I work. Parking lot. Please come now. You have to help."

There was a pause. He heard shuffling in the background. _"Chase and I are coming,"_ he said. _"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"_

"No. But Adam, he's…" He stared at Adam, and he was rendered completely at a loss on what to do. "I'm…"

_"We're coming."_

A poison. Leo realized that he was a poison, and his mere existence would soon kill the people he loved.

* * *

_to be continued._


	8. Eight

_Slightly early update, guys! I'm anticipating an interesting schedule ahead, so..._

_Many, many thanks to dreamer4evera, AngelGoneDevil69, xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, Swiftie22, AllAmericanSlurp, Jayne, live. love. life426, 88keys, Lady Cougar-Trombone, Jillie chan and rockybluewigs for your reviews! I apologize to those I haven't personally sent a message back yet; I'll get back with you as soon as the gap between me and the internet is resolved._ :)

* * *

_Eight._

The placid ascent to the living room served as a catalyst for Donald to finally assess his physical and mental state. The hours they had spent operating on Adam had forced him to step out from being a father to a scientist, from someone being completely human to something that was mostly pragmatic and unfeeling. He had to. There was so much at stake, and moments like that required an abandon of emotion and complete focus. Waves of pity, sympathy, and guilt had hit him, but he had managed to keep it at bay, if not drained out of his system entirely.

However, as he was finding out, hanging up the coat and taking off the gloves left him prey to various thoughts that robbed him of any craving for sleep. He couldn't shake off the sounds of Leo's pleading over the phone. He doubted he had ever heard him that lost and confused and disheartened. The first conclusion that he came to was that trouble had found him, and that idea was enough to propel both him and Chase out of the door in a speed that rivaled Bree's.

The reality that reared its head as they arrived was uncertainly worse: Adam lying unconsciously on the concrete in an alarming duress while Leo tried to convince the crowd of people surrounding them that calling an ambulance was unnecessary.

As was the case with Bree the night prior, his mind ran upon instincts that everything else was left a blur. He did remember calling Dr. Evans on their way home to ask for help. Thankfully, the chief scientist was ready to oblige even if it meant getting unceremoniously pulled out of a date night with his new bride.

The arduous procedure took hours, but it resulted into a success. He didn't realize how hard his heart was racing until Dr. Evans declared that Adam was stable and should be doing fine.

When the elevator doors slid open, an exhausted scene in the living room greeted them. Chase was the first one to look up, his clasped palms where his chin rested disengaging as he got on his feet. Tasha also stirred but only slightly so that Bree, who slept soundly as she leaned upon her, wouldn't waken. Her attempts were nulled by Bree's senses, though, which alerted her to Donald's and Dr. Evans' presence and moved her to open her eyes.

Leo half-turned in the swivel chair at the study desk, now wearing a fresh set of clothes, the unreadable expression under his unkind brows revealing something troubling.

"Adam?" Chase inquired anxiously.

Donald nodded curtly. "He's going to be okay," he said.

Chase exhaled a breath of relief, nodding as he made his way back to the couch.

"When can we see him?" Tasha asked.

Donald allowed Dr. Evans to explain. "Uh, in a bit," Dr. Evans started. "We will transport him in one of the rooms up here in two, three hours, just to give his body a chance to catch up. Although, he won't come to for a few more days."

Chase frowned. "Why not?"

"Precautionary measures," Dr. Evans responded. Then, with a look to Donald, he added, "We had to put him under to make sure Adam doesn't jeopardize his own health."

Donald observed a shift in mood from the rest of the family. Except for Leo, their anxiety became alarm, and he had to assure them. "Look. It is not as bad as you think it is," he said solemnly. "We just had to do that to lessen the chances of him doing something that could get him in trouble. We sent nanobots into his system to continue repairing the internal damages that we couldn't get to, and their operation tends to be delicate for the first few days. Having them work as he rests will speed up his recovery."

"It should also prevent him from using any of his bionics," Dr. Evans added. "One blast wave could be very deadly to him."

Tasha and Chase both looked down. They understood. Leo turned away to face the window, overlooking the deep gray sky with the languid city lights twinkling at its feet. Donald knew his stepson also understood, but what the boy heard loud and clear was what they didn't say.

Of course, the chief scientist, being completely inept at reading people, a fault developed from years of solitary confinement, voiced an inquiry that wound the strings of the unnoticed tension tighter. "The accident actually seems strange," he said. "It was like whoever was driving the car was aiming at someone else, but not necessarily to the point of hurting—"

Donald halted him by putting a hand on his shoulder. When Dr. Evans' eyes snapped at him, he made a quick glance towards the back of the chair where Leo sat.

Dr. Evans followed his eyes and was mortified when he understood. He opened his mouth to apologize, but he decided that the best approach was to say nothing. After a few seconds, he bobbed his head slightly to the direction of the elevator. "I should probably go check my phone, just to make sure Audrey's not worried about me," he said quietly.

Donald nodded, smiling forgivingly.

When Dr. Evans exited the room, Donald then realized how tired his legs had gotten from standing up and running around in an extended period of time. He strode to the couch before the other muscles in his body could complain. He sat beside Chase.

Tasha sat up but kept her arm around a languished Bree to support her. "Donald. What are we going to do now?" she asked worriedly.

Donald took a deep breath. It was a question worth asking, one that, sadly, he had no answers to. "I…I don't know," he admitted.

Tasha did her best to devoid her features of any hints of fear or defeat, but the drive to look at Chase then Leo then Bree betrayed her thinking.

The couple found themselves communicating with each other through charged stares which they hoped their children didn't see. They were running out of ways to protect their kids. It seemed like any attempt could easily be subjected to futility by only one miscalculation, and the chances of that happening again were great. They were comfortable as far as Adam and Bree's safety. At least, being under their watchful eyes in the house, they stood a fighting chance to prevent anything catastrophic from happening again.

However, with Chase—they dared not even fathom what could happen. They knew his sense of obligation, now heightened threefold, might put him directly in harm's way. As the threat became ever more imminent, Donald could see his son's hesitance to protect Leo diminish, and he wasn't too sure he favored that.

The resonance of that struck Donald so hard that he had to break his gaze from Tasha. He hoped his wife didn't have time to read that shameful thought. How could he think like that? Blaming Leo for anything that had and might happen was a foolish thing to do. He was a father to both boys. He shouldn't easily sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

Leo needed him, and giving him up should never be an option.

Donald cleared his throat, turning his attention back to his wife and children. He took one decisive glance at Bree before he spoke. "Maybe it's best if she goes back to bed. It's not doing her any good staying up like this," he told Tasha. Tasha nodded and then stood up to assist Bree, careful not to move so fast so as to imbalance the still sickly girl.

She seemed completely uncomprehending of what previously plagued her husband's mind. Instead of feeling relieved, Donald became more embarrassed.

"Chase, you're going to have to sleep up here tonight, too," Donald said despite. Chase, whether he was aware of it or not, sat up gradually, almost defensively, as he opened his mouth to respond. Donald weakly held up a hand. "I know, I know. It _will_ be uncomfortable, but we'd feel much better if the two of us can watch over all four of you. I could get your capsule up here as early as tomorrow but right now…" He sighed, only then fully understanding how tired he was. "Right now, your only option is a bed."

It was evident that Chase's mind moved from one direction to another, in a dissension of agreeing yet disagreeing. His muteness lasted a while but was terminated as soon as a compromise coalesced in his bright mind. "One condition. I get to choose where I stay," he demanded silently.

Donald nodded once.

Chase said nothing more and took his chance to leave. He followed his stepmother and his sister towards the wing of the house where they had gone to, and although it led to many other rooms, Donald knew exactly where he would be going. He was sure that the boy would situate himself in Tasha's sewing room, an unfortunately less sizeable chamber with a compensating foldable green futon—two doors down where Adam would be staying, a door down from where Bree slept, and directly across Leo's bedroom.

When the echoes of Chase's footsteps had dissipated, Donald stood up from the couch and walked over to the desk where Leo sat. The boy had not moved, and for a second he thought that he had fallen asleep. Yet the solid gaze Leo casted towards the paling skyline outside said otherwise. Donald scanned the figure in front of him before displaying what he thought was a pathetic excuse for a smile on his face. "We should probably get you looked at," he said quietly.

Leo looked up briefly. He followed his stepfather's gesture to the bruises and scratches on his exposed wrist. Quickly, he drew his wrist back towards him, hiding it under the table. "No. I'm fine," he answered.

"Hm. That's the second time you've been 'fine' this week," Donald said.

He expected a sarcastic remark, or at least an angry outburst to match the morose expression on Leo's face. Yet, it didn't come. Instead, there was only a shrug and an innocent, "Because it is."

Donald was moved to say many things to break the clouds of awkwardness that threatened to condensate between them, but he opted not to. His stepson seemed deep in thought in connection with what he was going to say next, and disturbing that would only serve to obscure the situation they found themselves in.

When Leo finally spoke, it almost startled him.

"It's okay, you know," Leo said simply.

Donald frowned. "What is okay?"

"That you blame me. It's okay."

Donald felt as if someone had delivered a powerful punch to his stomach.

Leo smirked up at him, and the sincerity of the act numbed the effect of his words some. "Nothing out of the ordinary for anyone, right?" he asked rhetorically.

Donald opened his mouth to apologize. He intended to, but something else came out. "Not this time," he said. "No one should blame anyone, especially you. This is not your fault."

"Yes. It is," Leo said. "This time. I was standing out in the open. I didn't move when she came at me with that car. I shouldn't have called Adam. Maybe—"

"Maybe _what_."

Leo stared blankly at his stepfather, somehow surprised by his indignant tone. "Maybe this wouldn't have happened," he acquiesced.

Donald shook his head disapprovingly. "You've been a part of many urgent missions, Leo," he said. "You know that in situations like this, you shouldn't depend on emotions, especially doubt. Rely on logic. Logic doesn't point to you as cause."

Leo wanted to argue. Subtle hints of the inclination surfaced in his refusal to make eye contact and the tension in his posture. But, in the end, he didn't. He contented himself with sitting back and letting go of what he harbored. "I know," he acceded distantly, becoming more of a puzzle to his stepfather. "I just don't like the idea that every time she one-ups us, someone else has to pay for it. I was promised a spot on that list."

"Does it scare you?"

"It ticks me off," Leo responded with silent vehemence. "People I care about are getting hurt, and I can't do anything about it. I don't like being helpless. I don't like being a damsel in distress."

"I understand you're upset, but anger is another emotion that you're going to have to put behind you. At least for the meantime." Donald squatted down—an unconscious assurance that they both stood on common ground. It was an opportunity to strengthen their link, the same bond that he himself had almost broken away from, and he was going to take it by teaching. "So. What are you going to do?" he asked.

Flickers of indecision passed by Leo's features. Though his glare (not directed at him) did not falter, his breathing and the unlocking and locking of his jaws revealed his desire to withhold any answers from his stepfather.

"Leo. _What _are you going to do?"

Leo cast his eyes down for a moment before finally answering. "I'm going to find whoever's doing this. She has invested enough time to learn about me. I think it's time I return the favor," he said. Then, to Donald, he said, "You can't stop me."

Donald shook his head. "Wasn't planning to."

"You can't come," Leo said.

"Why not?"

"Because," Leo said. He exhausted a breath. "Because wherever I go, death follows."

"Then Chase and I would be right behind it," Donald said, undeterred. "And there's nothing you can say or do that will change anyone's mind. You know that."

Leo thought about it. Something seemed to have clicked, but Donald was not completely sure if it was the message he was trying to get across. "What about Mom? Adam, Bree? You have to protect them."

"I know. I'm responsible for them and their safety. But I'm responsible for yours, too," Donald said. "So I'm going with you to look for this girl."

The acceptance came gradually, but it came nonetheless.

An honest smile emerged on Donald's face. "You have the wheel. Where do we start?" he asked.

"Her address in Chula Vista," Leo replied. "Someone can probably give us an idea why she's onto me."

Donald stood back up. "Okay. I'll tell Chase the plan tomorrow at breakfast. I'll also let Tasha know, but right now you have to go to bed. Get enough sleep. We might end up with a long day tomorrow," he instructed.

Leo showed no hesitance. He stole another glance at the city outside before getting on his feet.

Donald remained while he watched his stepson trudge down the same hallway the rest of his family had vanished to, feet anchored down by much exhaustion and, more than likely, a toxic mix of emotions. Sleep would do him much good, he decided. It would, if it wouldn't flee from him. It would give him at least a presence of mind, which he desperately hoped would prevent the boy from jumping into anything unwise.

Soon, the house was still. Donald enumerated the things he had to do, from going downstairs and checking on Adam to making sure that Dr. Evans arrive home safely after they had finished the transport. Only afterwards could he go to bed.

He hoped it would all go according to plan. He hoped everything, at least for the rest of that morning, would remain in peace.

* * *

_to be continued._


	9. Nine

_Somewhat late update, guys. Busy Monday! _

_Many thanks to Adeo1234, xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, paquiot899, AllAmericanSlurp, Lady Cougar-Trombone, AlienGhostWizard, ChacyFTW, 88keys, AngelGoneDevil69, Jillie chan, and live. love. life426 for your reviews!_

* * *

_Nine._

A towering faint yellow house gave Donald, Chase and Leo an eerie reception when they reached their destination in Chula Vista in the early afternoon the following day. Its proud construction casted a long shadow upon the unassuming street, inevitably rendering everything under it much colder. The sprouts of dried grass and unkempt remains of twigs and branches drained the property of any vibrancy. Absence of any activity, along with the big 'For Sale' sign staked at the yard, isolated it from the rest of the affluent neighborhood.

Since questioning the former owners of the house was obviously not possible (a waste, they thought, of a few hours plane ride from San Francisco to San Diego and some minutes travel by car), the three of them agreed on going around the block and finding neighbors who would be willing to share some information about the couple and their deceased foster daughter. However, the plan was stopped short by a curious teen jogging on the other side of the street. He approached them after asking if they were interested in moving to the house. When Donald said they were not, the boy nodded.

"Yes, sir. I understand if you really don't want it. What happened there was sad. Bad memories don't really bid well for a new house, you know?" he said. He checked his watch for the time as he consulted his pulse. "But, if you change your mind, you can always check if the door is open. They had been holding an open house for that property for months now. We've been seeing this guy come in and out of there so much, at one point we thought he was the new owner. I think he's the estate agent. I won't be surprised if he's in there right now." He plugged his earphones back into his ears. "You're here. Might as well." Then, he jogged away.

They considered the suggestion and tried it. Donald knocked twice. Chase knocked once. No one came to the door. Before Donald could call it off, Leo twisted the knob and pushed it open. The door swung in smoothly, revealing the dense dimness inside.

When Donald chastised him and Chase glared at him, Leo shrugged and pointed out that it was, after all, an open house.

After a reluctant start, they discovered that the interior was much morose. It was doubtful that anyone had frequented the house as layers upon layers of dust matted the very few furniture left in there. Considerable amount of it also plagued the humid air. It caused Chase to sneeze twice, his enhanced senses causing more stagnant dust to catapult through the room. Donald asked that he wait in the car for them, but Chase insisted that he stay, promising that he'd use his jacket to cover the bottom half of his face to prevent himself from being affected by the conditions inside.

Donald offered that they look for the supposed real estate agent, just in case he really was somewhere in the premise. He assigned Chase to search for him out at the backyard, while he and Leo would go upstairs then throughout the bottom floor. He allowed only ten minutes for their endeavor and then, they had to leave, before others in the neighborhood become suspicious and call the police on them.

"We can split up, Big D," Leo proposed as Chase exited the backdoor. "You can take the second floor. I can stay here and look."

Donald shot him a disapproving glare from the bottom of the stairs. "No. That's not the deal, Leo," he said. "You have to be with someone at all times."

"We'll spend less time here if we split up," Leo explained. "In these kinds of neighborhoods, police respond immediately. What is five minutes by myself to years in jail?"

Donald hesitantly thought about it. The idea didn't sit quite well with him even if it made sense. Last time he listened, Bree ended up half-dead on a table in the lab. However, the image of him ending up behind bars, with Chase and Leo suffering the same consequence at a juvenile facility somewhere else, displeased him.

"Five minutes _sharp_. You better be in my or Chase's line of sight by then," he demanded before climbing the steps to the second floor.

The irrefutable reasoning earned Leo a much desired time alone.

He didn't waste a second of it. He headed straight ahead towards what once was the family room. A piece of furniture peeked from the right side corner. The bare wooden desk was ensconced between the sliding doors, both of which were much obscured by heavy thermal curtains, and the wall. He went around it and found that it hosted drawers, two on each side. With a frown, he sought through it. Beside networks of cobwebs and more dust, there was nothing of interest in it.

The big fireplace and the ledge jutting out above it caught his attention next. Besides the desk, these were the only characterizing features of an otherwise dull room. What piqued his interest, however, was the lonesome clock sitting at exactly the center of the ledge. He noticed that it, too, had been subjected to the apparent aging of the house—but only somewhat. The plastic glass protecting its face was partly fogged. He ran his fingers against it and saw the time. 2:37 PM.

He wondered what his mother and Bree were doing. He wondered if there was any chance Adam would have woken up.

Reality snapped him out of any idle musings through the audible groaning of the floorboards above. When he heard Donald's muffled voice upstairs, Leo moved on to the adjacent room.

The kitchen primarily appeared daunting because of its size and the multitudes of cabinets lining the blue marble counters above and below. Once he went through them, however, he concluded that it was not a hard task at all. He came across one or two curious things, like the stacks of fine china in one of the cabinets and a house spider minding its own affairs in another. Underneath the sink sat two bottles of cleaning supplies, neither of them used any time recently.

He was poised to close the doors of that cabinet when he noticed something protruding out of the liner. Gingerly, he drew it out. A piece of paper, obviously tarnished by abandon and its location. The name and number, despite the partial damage created by drops of the house cleaning chemicals, were still legible.

_Luke Berwyck_

_-8059 xt. 323_

Leo pocketed the paper, hoping it could be of use later, and then continued on.

Emptiness was much more evident in the following rooms. He did not find anything worth investigating until he reached the library at the opposite end of the house. An upholstered chair with a complementary ottoman and a filled bookshelf decreased the nearly suffocating proximity of the room more. He scanned within anyways, even if the absence of movement or noise instilled an unsettling feeling in him.

All appeared clear. He did skim through the choices of dusty books, which provoked a coughing bout from him, but none were pertaining to the issue at hand.

When he stood up after leafing through the bottom row, he noticed an awkward gap between the bookshelf and the wall. His eyes narrowed while he inspected it. With the sliver of light that escaped through the tresses of the heavy curtain, he was able to get a glimpse of an indefinite shaped hollow on the wall. Carefully and with much physical effort, he pulled the immense furniture away to get a better look, silently hoping that nothing would jump out and cause him to scream at the top of his lungs.

The unsightly hole revealed an interesting sight. Organized neatly between the shattered drywall and the foundation behind it were a drawing book, a few art supplies, and a dark blue velvet box. He took them out one by one before examining them.

Any doubts of Jessi Evelyn Nash's existence were erased by the vivid sketches on the drawing book. Hand drawn sceneries of parks, trees, faceless portraits of her (he guessed) and other people—finished with a proud signature of her initials at the bottom—brought to the fore the life that she once lived. The sadness that the spectacular hues on the paper pushed to the oblivion of the shadows, unbeknownst to him, earned her a degree of his forgiveness.

The box contained more mediums, like charcoal and sticks of oil pastel. A petite wooden mannequin lied contorted inside as well. Fragments of a wax hand, the mold probably being hers, cluttered it, rendering the container old and unkempt. Still, he was moved to examine it closely.

Leo wasn't sure whether it was proper to pity her or not. Most of her seemingly prized possessions were hidden in places where she was sure no one would look. He should not be quick to judge the couple that offered a roof over her head once upon a time, but the lack of joy and abundance of secrecy told an eloquent story of how they treated the orphan. This discovery moved him to sympathize, but he hesitated to. Emotions like that would only serve to blur objectivity.

He placed everything back to where they were before departing from the room. His last stop stood straight across, a door leading to what he presumed to be another coat closet. Stairs leading to the basement unraveled before him when he opened it, however. Patches of old carpeting lined the steps, positioned in an enticing path downward the strangely brighter part of the house.

He stole a long glance at the front of the house, hoping that his stepfather and stepbrother weren't there yet. He consulted his watch. His allotted time was up, but he could ask pardon later on for borrowing another minute.

Mind made up, he descended, closing the door behind him.

The basement expanded broadly, to his surprise. Light from outside also beamed boundlessly through the small windows positioned overhead. The cement walls were undecorated and seemed to have been that way even when the owners still lived there, easily giving it the appearance of a wine cellar.

Yet, the glaring oddity in the middle of the basement won over his undivided attention. A fully decked control panel with new screens whirred near the loaded sockets on the wall. Metals, wires and unfinished devices corrugated upon the sleek and wide metallic table underneath a dangling light bulb. If the clutter was not enough, two immense shelves hosting more sat at the back, framing a window above.

Leo almost jumped up when the door beside the control panel swung open. A familiar—and notably unaware—person walked out, preoccupied with his task of carrying a cylindrical device to an opening on the table. "You," he said, puzzled.

Douglas whirled around, startled. A loud crash rang through the basement as the object being transported shattered against the floor. His jaws locked in ire when he saw his invention ruined. It unlocked when he turned his attention back to the unwelcome visitor.

He opened his mouth to ask him a question, but Leo beat him to it. "What are you doing here?" he inquired.

All attempts to answer were suddenly nulled by the thunderous beats of feet against the floor above. Both Douglas and Leo looked up. Leo turned his attention back to Douglas just in time to see the mutual confusion on his face morph into a crooked smirk. "I should ask you the same thing," Douglas told Leo just as Donald and Chase reached them. He scanned his three visitors predatorily before crossing his arms. "Well, what do you know? The thief, the double-crosser, and the snitch. To what do I owe the privilege of your visit?"

Donald exerted much effort to control his heavy breathing. He scanned his brother from head to toe glaringly before asking, "What are you doing here, Douglas?"

Douglas scoffed. He stooped down and then began to pick up the pieces of his invention. "Your stepbrat already asked that question," he said. "But, if you must know, I live here."

"How could you?" Chase asked, brows knitted intensely above his searching eyes. "This house is supposed to be empty."

"Well, it's not now, is it?" Douglas replied. He huffed in anger, shaking his head while grouping the broken pieces into a pile. He shot them a cold smile later. "Prime spot among homeless people. I called it. Perks of being an evil scientist, you see." He exhausted a breath contentedly. "Gotta love California."

Donald, Chase and Leo eyed him carefully, conscious of each move he makes.

"So. You found me," Douglas declared. "What do you want?"

"We don't want anything from you," Chase responded acidly.

"No? Man. Here I am thinking my family's finally come to visit me," Douglas returned sardonically. He pieced together the base of the cylinder while the other three looked on. "Where's my other children? My strong son and my lightning-quick daughter?"

Donald didn't break his glare from his brother. "They're not with us," he answered.

"Really? That's too bad. It would have been nice to see them. We could have had a real party," Douglas muttered. He chuckled to himself. "I hope you're not here to foil me or whatever hero fantasy you always plan against me, Donald." He looked up, wearing a mocking grin. "'Cause I'll tell you right now? This little band of army you've brought with you? It's kinda sad. And pathetic."

"It wasn't sad and pathetic when I froze you," Chase said coldly.

"But I managed to escape, didn't I?" Douglas said confidently, igniting more of Chase's anger. He sauntered uncaringly to one of the shelves where he drew out a toolbox.

"Did you send that death threat?" Donald asked.

Douglas frowned at his work. "Who? To you?" he asked.

"No."

"To the kids?"

"No."

"Then to whom?"

"To Leo," Donald clarified.

Douglas looked up then stared at him a while. When he discerned his brother's seriousness, he laughed. "Wait. Are you serious?" he blurted out.

Donald glanced back at his children. "Yes. I am."

"What could I possibly want from him? I mean, sure, he's annoying, but look at him! He's not bionic. I don't think he can even hold his own for anything. What use is he to me?" Douglas pressed on, further embarrassing Leo who had tried his hardest not to let the words affect him.

"He's outsmarted Marcus several times, and he's managed to outsmart you, too," Chase said defensively. "It won't be too wild of a guess that you have a clear motive in wanting to take him out of the way."

Douglas sighed. "Don't over exaggerate his abilities, Chase. You know you don't mean it. You see the facts in front of you. You're not stupid. Use them," he said. He paused in his work. "Then again, maybe your brains are hindered by your feelings. But I understand. Families tend to reserve some affection for their _pets_, don't they."

Donald's expression visibly darkened. Chase's hand balled into a fist as he sought to control the fiery words threatening to surge out of him. Leo, on the other hand, briefly narrowed his eyes while he scanned the table for any telling information. Yet, he came up with nothing.

Douglas finally stopped laboring on his broken invention. He placed down the tools he used, and then turned around to face them. He crossed his arms. "It does make me wonder, though, Donny… You usually don't pay much attention to things like death threats. I remember you receiving some when we worked together. Didn't bother you. So why so worried about this one? …Well. You know. Besides the obvious."

Donald withheld the response. He primarily deemed the knowledge as a privilege that should remain only amongst those directly affected. However, circumstances had forced their hands, and the wisest choice at the moment was to give him the answer. "It's been acted upon," he said.

"Oh!" Douglas examined Leo amusedly. "Huh. And you're still alive? How did that happen?"

Leo said nothing.

Douglas nodded. "Ah. The stepsiblings. Of course," he said. His smirk weakened as a thought occurred to him. "I hope the reason why Adam and Bree are not here is not because of you."

Leo looked away.

The expression on Douglas' face grew dim. "What happened?" he asked.

"That's none of your concern," Donald said.

"It is too," Douglas said. "They're my kids, Donald. Remember?"

Chase shook his head. "We're not yours."

Douglas smiled slyly. "How do you know?" he said, staring straight at Chase.

A dense silence befell the four of them. Douglas eyed his guests with a twisted air of satisfaction, watching closely how his words had catalyzed several reactions that were quite entertaining. Donald and Chase, meanwhile, both read deeper into Douglas' demeanor, knowing that a cunning person as he could obscure something so obvious successfully. It would serve them as an upper hand to distinguish any plans and be one step ahead of him.

Douglas shook his head. "Hate to break it to you, big brother, but it's not me," he said. "It couldn't have been. For one, as you know, I'm hundreds of miles away from you. I don't have as much resources as you think I do. No cars, no jets. Unfortunately, I have to rely on my client for any transportation, which brings me to Reason Number Two. As you see, I've been busy working on a few devices. A client's promised a big payday if I finish them for her. Thankfully for you, money's higher up on my list of priorities right now. Petty payback's not even on my top five." He frowned lightly, stabbing the air behind him with his thumb. "Did you want to see the receipt? I'd gladly show 'em to you. It's more than triple the amount Davenport Industries makes in a year." He walked back to one of the shelves and retrieved a thick yellow envelope. "I'm game to embarrass you a little," he said as he faced them again.

Donald didn't stir. His brother's willingness to present viable alibi didn't sit well with him. That he could and he did could only mean that he was innocent.

Douglas laughed. He waved the envelope. "Come on. It has her number too and everything. You need proof, right?" he insisted. He tossed it to the floor and greedily hoped for a rabid dive for it. However, his guests saw into that immediately and decided to make no such move. "No? No takers? Hm. What a shame. I was almost relieved it was none of my doing this time." He sighed soon after. The sweltering matching expressions on Donald's and Chase's features sorely disinterested him. They were too involved with the problem that he could not even prompt a different effect from his jokes. The apparent victim's calmness despite, although—it caught his attention. "When are you going to get it?" he asked him.

Leo's brows lightly furrowed. "When am I going to get what?" he asked.

The peaceful tone of his voice goaded Douglas on. "They will always try to save you," he said. "To the day you die. Isn't that kind of selfish?"

"It's our choice," Chase answered.

"Is it?" Douglas asked. "You see him in distress, in danger, you'd always come running. Like you can't help it. Really, I don't think it's just the superhero complex acting. It's something else. Sense of family? Friendship?" His eyes fell upon Leo. "Or is it debt? It's most likely debt. I'm guessing he's the reason why you, Adam and Bree were finally able to get out of the hole Donald stuffed you in to hide you from me. Your brain's been hardwired from then on that you have to return something to him. You _owe_ him." Douglas shook his head. "That's sad. I didn't invent you to owe someone the rest of your life."

"They don't owe me anything," Leo retaliated.

"They do," Douglas nodded. "You may not want to acknowledge it, but they do. I'm kinda surprised, though, that, if you're really this good guy your family's making you out to be, you're letting them take the hit for you. Are you really that helpless? Or are you just trying to ignore the reality in front of you?"

Leo held his tongue. It was only words being slung at him. Although the implications churned his stomach, he had the power to overturn them. His father had taught him that when he was little, and no way was he ignoring that now.

Douglas walked closer to him, intent on delivering one final hit.

Leo didn't back down. He waited for him to come.

The decreasing latitude between Douglas and Leo moved Chase to step in front of his brother. Donald, in turn, stood in between his sons and his brother.

Douglas halted, somewhat stunned by the action.

"Beware your distance from _my_ children, Douglas," Donald warned darkly.

Douglas' eyebrows shot up in amusement. When it lowered, a sly smile tugged at both ends of his lips. He took one long look at the other three before walking back to the table. Before he could resume his work, he glanced at his step-nephew. "You are the end of them, Leo," he stated simply, eloquently, disappointedly so that it sent a loud thump against its recipient, shaking him to the core.

Donald glared at his brother even after his brother's attention refocused back on mending his gadget. "Come on, guys. We shouldn't waste our time here," he said then ushered Chase and Leo towards the stairs.

The constant resonance of tools in use followed them on their way out. For Leo, it served as a reminder to the undeniable truth that had been haunting him since last night. Memory of Adam's pitiful state after he had saved him pulsed through his brain, sending a displeasing sensation to his stomach. Bree's labored and pallid chuckles rang from the back of his head.

He felt sorry for her, for them.

A reassuring clap on his shoulders startled Leo out of his thoughts. He found Chase, who stood right behind him, to be its source.

Aware of his brother's inclinations, Chase shook his head. "Don't believe him," he said to him. "He's a liar. He's always been. Believe us. Not him."

Leo stared at him. Then, he smiled. He nodded.

Chase smiled in kind before taking his seat in front of the car.

It wasn't until they had been on the road for a quarter of an hour, heading towards the Child Services building downtown, that Leo noticed that the smile had not left his face. Based on the reflection on the window, he saw that it was lopsided, very insincere and, sadly, pretentious. He allowed it to fade then. The smile had run its course and had overstayed its purpose.

He decided that it was very much like him.

* * *

_to be continued._


	10. Ten

_Many, many thanks to xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, Lady Cougar-Trombone, AllAmericanSlurp, Swiftie22, Jillie chan, Glee Clue Rock 1251, paquiot899, Adeo1234, AlienGhostWizard14, rockybluewigs,88keys, AngelGoneDevil69, dreams71, and sing104 for your reviews!_

_Oh! And I meant to mention last chapter that this story has been done since February/early March, and all I've left to do is edit and post the remaining chapters. Unfortunately, because of the schedule I'm on, I can't update as frequently. :)_

_Please enjoy this chapter! Last chapter, this chapter, and all the following ones are probably some of my favorite chapters to have written. _

* * *

_Ten._

Chase wrapped his fingers tighter around his cup of coffee. The warmth emitted by the porcelain and the strong scent wafting through the air granted him the solace he needed. He cautiously sipped from it, so as not to burn his mouth and throat, before brooding back at his laptop screen. The small dose of caffeine would not do him any favors, he understood, but he required the extra jolt it usually provided. The long day he, his father and his brother spent out in the field in a sorry attempt to catch a presumably dead suspect drained his energy. Compared to other missions, it was less work, but the travel and countless frustrations they ran against had pummeled his body to the point of unbelievable exhaustion.

Of course, a break in their search would have paid off the work—but they didn't find it.

Unfortunately, their discovery of Douglas in the abandoned house was the only highlight of the day. Child Services did not provide any relative information. Jessi's Case Worker, Ms. Till, was kind and patient enough to answer any questions they had. Besides the horrid account of Jessi's life with her last foster family, nothing else was of use.

Although, he did find it interesting that Leo knew something about Jessi that they didn't. _She loves drawing,_ he recalled him saying at one point in the conversation.

Ms. Till had smiled. _That's right. Jessi did_, she had said. _She was a very talented girl. It was clear she wanted to be an artist. I just feel so bad that she had to use her only escape as a way to let us know how her foster family's treating her. _She sighed then. _If I could, I would take in all these kids. If I have all the money in the world and if I was younger. Jessi and Raymond and Torrance would be living with me._

He did ask about the other kids she mentioned, but she refused to discuss the others with them.

She was bound by the rules, so they understood.

The three of them also visited the prisons where each half of the foster couple was locked in. He and Leo only got as far as the parking lots, while Donald went in to speak with them, which may have been the best idea, since his amplified hearing ability communicated unpleasant conversations carried out in both instances, all coming from the man and the woman.

There were a few more stops but by dinnertime, Donald decided to call it off. After a drive and a plane ride, the three of them came home two hours before midnight.

Chase was determined to turn in and sleep off the unfruitful day when, after taking a much needed shower, he remembered the deadline for a college application. Thankfully, he had saved a half-filled draft of it, including his well-polished essay, and only had to finish and tweak a few things.

Yet, with only half an hour to go, he found it difficult to click the button that would finalize a huge decision.

"Coffee?"

Chase quickly spun around in his seat. He saw Tasha standing a few feet away from the counter, a knowing smile on her face accompanied by a hand on her hip. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the voice to lie.

Tasha's hand dropped before she marched towards the cupboards. She opened a door and drew out a huge blue and yellow mug with a red heart on it, her favorite. "You know your father doesn't want any of you three drinking that stuff. It tends to make you glitch," she said, her voice bouncing off the cabinets.

"It's…decaf," Chase offered unsurely.

Tasha slid out the coffee pot and then poured out the beverage into her mug. After mixing it with a slew of creamers and sugar, she faced him with a soft grin. "I know, sweetheart. I'm kinda surprised you're still awake with how weak this is," she teased.

Chase smiled.

"So. What is our College Man doing up this late?" Tasha asked after taking a seat next to him. "Donald's knocked out on the futon in Adam's room, and Leo's been quiet in his room for a while now. I thought you would have been giving your upstairs room another shot."

"I will. I'm just, you know…" Chase shrugged, "taking care of some things."

Tasha drank some of her coffee. She nodded. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked.

Chase shook his head. "No. I'm good," he said appreciatively. "Thanks."

Tasha turned her attention to the mug in her hands, resisting inquiring further.

"What about you? Why are you still up?" Chase asked, frowning lightly.

The smile on Tasha's face returned. "Just making sure everything's in place," she said. "I had to check on Adam and Bree, and then I turned off the lights in the lab. Responded to a few work-related e-mails." She chuckled. "I, uh…I also started to put together a care package for you."

Chase's brows furrowed more. "A care package? But I won't leave for two more months," he said.

"Do you remember the box that the air conditioner came in?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah?"

"Double that," Tasha said.

Chase's eyes widened slightly. "But that's too big," he protested.

"I know. That's why I'm starting early," Tasha said. She explained further, her tone notably sadder, "When you go to New York, I won't be able to put things together for you like I could every day. I know you're more than capable to take care of yourself, but you're still my child. Or stepchild. Whichever you're comfortable with. I'd always worry if you eat well or you're warm enough for the weather. This box will be the least I can do."

"We'll still see each other. As long as there are missions," Chase pointed out hopefully.

"Only in passing," Tasha replied. "I won't be able to fuss over you like I could with Adam and Bree and Leo. You'd have to go back to your life after every mission. And that's okay; it has to happen." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you like the things I'm going to put there."

The somber conversation bothered Chase, but he opted to display a somewhat chipper mood. "What's in it?" he asked.

Tasha shrugged, her hand grasping back her mug before she took another sip. "You're going to have to find out once you get there," she said. "Though, I can assure you that there will be cookies. I hope you don't mind. I know you guys don't like it, but I'll try the recipe again."

Chase grinned. "I actually like the white chocolate chip macadamias," he muttered. "They're pretty good."

"Aw. Thanks, sweetie," Tasha said. Then, she made a face. "At least one of you guys like it."

"Oh, I'm not the only one," Chase chuckled. "You should see Leo when he finds them in his lunch bag. He practically inhales them. Adam's always loved them, and I think Bree and Mr. Davenport smuggles them out to school and to work."

Tasha scoffed. "Wha—And no one bothered to let me know about this?" she asked. "All this time I thought I was a horrible cook, and you guys actually like something I make!"

"Should I expect boxes of ramen noodles in there?" Chase asked later.

"Mm, yeah. A few, but it's only for emergencies. They're good, but it's not going to help you out of the impending freshman fifteen," Tasha said. "I didn't get rid of mine until after I had Leo. We can't have you struggling to keep up during missions now, can we?"

Chase shook his head. His eyes snagged upon the blinking cursor on the screen as he looked away, and it inevitably weakened his smile. Suddenly, New York seemed like an imaginary place. It offered many promises, including the very desires of his heart, but, assessed against the dire situation his family was in, it was verily fictitious. "I can't go to Columbia," he said.

Tasha frowned at him. "What?"

"I just can't," Chase said contemplatively. He beheld his stepmother's anxious look. An askew smile emerged on his face. "I can't leave you guys in a time like this."

"Look. Chase, honey. This is going to pass. It's going to end. Don't make a rash decision based on what's happened," Tasha reasoned hopefully.

"I know. And I'm not," Chase said. "But—it just made me realize that I could miss much by not being there at the right time. Two nights ago, I was supposed to sit with Bree and Leo. I let myself get distracted, and Bree ended up almost dying. Last night, I told Adam to go instead of me going, and he ended up in a coma." He paused, replaying the words he uttered in his head. "I just…I have to be here. For Mr. Davenport. For you. I don't want to fail anyone when I'm needed the most."

"Are you scared of failure, or are you scared of losing control?" Tasha asked solemnly.

Chase looked at her. He didn't know.

"We're not supposed to be your cage," Tasha added warmly. "We're supposed to be a branch you learn to fly away from. Isn't that what teenagers always want to do?" She laughed lightly. "Get away from your parents and your crazy siblings as far as possible?"

Chase's chuckle died almost as soon as it came about.

"The last thing we would want is to be the ones to hold you back from becoming what you're supposed to be," Tasha said. "Baby, you can't be afraid for us. You already have too much on your plate. I know you have a good heart, but sometimes you have to think of yourself too. Isn't Columbia University your top choice?"

"Yeah," Chase muttered quietly.

"And didn't you tell me before that this is your dream?"

"Yes. But my mind's made up." Chase stared blankly at the lukewarm cup of coffee nestled in his hands. "We found Douglas today. He's hiding out at the house where Jessi Nash used to live."

Tasha sat up, alert. "So did the letter come from him?" she asked.

Chase shook his head. "As much as Mr. Davenport and I would like to think so, it's probably not him," he replied. "He's completely clueless on what's been happening, and he has solid proof that it couldn't be him." He scoffed. "He's a pretty bad actor, too. If he was lying, we could have easily detected it. But he wasn't. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that he didn't try anything funny. He just let us walk out of his door."

"Which is what worries you."

"Very much," Chase responded. "You know, he's the one who holds me back. He reminded me of what can happen if I start thinking of myself. Even if he's not the sender, he will still try to do something to mess with my life. And I'm not going to give him or anyone else that much power over me."

"You're letting them force your hand into giving up what matters to you."

"_You_ guys are what matters to me," Chase said determinedly. "No way am I going to let anyone take any of you away." Realizing how overly strong his tone must have been, he sighed. His shoulder hitched. "I'm just going to have to do without Columbia. There are still great schools near here. Stanford, I think, is pretty good. Breeds good leaders."

He intended to smile at Tasha to communicate his sincerity when he was suddenly squeezed into a hug. His instincts caused him to tense up, but as his stepmother's warmth registered to him, he gradually leaned into her. Neither of them spoke, and he somehow preferred it that way. He concluded that it was one of the normal things normal kids leaving for college get to enjoy with their mothers, and he, of course, had no qualms about experiencing it.

This distracted Chase from noticing an unexpected listener, who retreated into one of the rooms down the hall as quietly as he had come in when he had heard enough.

* * *

_to be continued._


	11. Eleven

_Thank you very much to Glee Clue Rock 1251, AllAmericanSlurp, live. love. life426, AlienGhostWizard14, paquiot899, 88keys, xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, Lady Cougar-Trombone and AngelGoneDevil69 for your awesome reviews! I really do appreciate hearing your thoughts about this little story of mine._

_Another personal favorite :)_

* * *

_Eleven._

"You know what I think?"

Kerry continued to frown at the page of the graphic novel she was reading, the ink on the paper vibrant as the rays of the Sunday sun shone on it. "What'd you got, Sherlock?" she muttered. When no answer came back to her, she looked up. She turned her eyes towards Leo, who sat an arm span away from her. "Oh. Right. No name calling," she said. She shook her head. "What do you think?"

Leo suppressed a grin attempting to break out in his features. He held up the smaller book on his hand. "I think volume eight's the best of the series so far," he said.

Kerry's eyes narrowed, her lips stretching out in an inquisitive pout. "Why? As far as I can tell, volume ten is more exciting," she commented. "Captain Mori finally found one of the three vortexes that they've all been looking for since volume two, and they're finally giving Soshi a chance! Plus, that plot twist. I've always had a feeling that Zera was up to no good, but to find out that she's actually been leading the entire Delta team to a wasteland? That was kind of shocking."

"I knew that was going to happen."

"Oh, please. How could you have?"

Leo shrugged, leaning back on the tree that they have called theirs for months already. "Zera is plural of the Latin word for zero. She's never had anything to present to the Delta team from the beginning," he explained.

Kerry stared at him awhile. Then, her mouth wrinkled to the side in annoyance. "I forgot. I'm discussing this series with a nerd," she said.

"There _is_ a brain behind all this beauty," Leo said.

Kerry rolled her eyes as she leaned back on the tree, her green windbreaker creating a warm, comfortable cushion between her and the dried bark. "Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively.

"Does that turn you off?" Leo teased some time later, grinning.

Kerry refused to answer, but the faint rosy hue that colored her cheeks soon after sufficed as a response.

"Oh, no! It doesn't!" Leo laughed. "You think I'm cute, don't you?"

"Just shut up and read the book!" Kerry said, notably crossed. She shrank back to her coat, burying the increasingly pink blush on her cheeks under the collar and, efficiently seconds later, the smile that rose to her lips.

Leo leaned back on his spot, chuckling until he was satisfied. He brought up his knees closer to him, using it as a shield against the cool air that whiffed against him occasionally. Then, he flipped the pages back to where he had left off and drew it near to where he could see it clearly.

Three quarters of an hour had passed since they met up at the park, but Leo had not been able to bring himself to tell Kerry his last goodbye. Of course, he never expected it to be a tearful scene full of sickeningly dragging farewells and emotional breakdowns. He was not that kind of guy, and she was not that kind of girl. Plus, he never did intend to disclose his plans to her, or anyone else. He didn't want to give anybody a chance to stop him. They would just stand in front of him to protect him again, opening themselves up for danger. He didn't need that to happen again.

However, he did want to give her closure. He owed her at least an expression of gratitude for the months they were together. Ironically enough, their choice of always meeting up at the park even in the dead of winter summarized their relationship: it was secretive, in that a very select few of their family knew about them; idiotic, in that it had and would never be agreeable to others; and random, in that it all happened by chance. It may not have been as ideal as his past relationship with Janelle, but he loved it nonetheless. Admittedly, it had helped him to make his own choices and stand by it (not that he ever viewed seeing her wrong).

He had grown from it, and it was all he could ask for.

He also wanted to let her know that, even if knowledge of it might discomfort her, somewhere along the way, the end line of friendship was crossed, and he had been viewing their togetherness as something more. He understood that this subject should remain taboo, but he was about to face a point with no possible return. There could not be a better time to break that rule of silence and tell her that, not only did he love their relationship, he loved her, too.

He secretively, idiotically, accidentally loved her.

Yet, Leo couldn't. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her and end their relationship at the edge of a precipice. So, he decided to content himself with an hour with her, blindly staring at page ten for the longest while he listened as she turned the pages of the book he actually bought for her.

Kerry cleared her throat. "So, uh, not to be too nosy or anything," she said, "but have you guys finally found out who was messing with you?"

Leo frowned. "Messing with me?" he asked. Then, he remembered seeing her sitting at the bleachers, her arms crossed, her eyes darting daggers toward Trent after Adam and Chase accused him of sending the death threat. His face cleared. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, we've got that figured out," he said.

"Really."

"Really," he assured her.

Kerry looked up from the book. "So why is your posse hanging around with you?" she asked. "Your stepdad's driven at least fifteen laps around the block since we got here, and I can feel your stepbrother's glare even if he's halfway across the park."

Leo opened then closed his mouth. He had forgotten. Kerry was quite adept at assessing her surroundings accurately with just one look. It was one of her qualities that were both endearing and unnerving.

Kerry resumed her reading. "You know, if he had some kind of heat vision, he would be boring a hole through my skull right now," she commented.

Leo's eyes widened. Slowly, he swiveled his head towards where Chase stood. The glower on Chase's eyes was so hard set that it didn't come out even if he had turned his attention to him. Leo lightly nodded towards Kerry, demanding that Chase stop staring at them and give himself away.

Chase rolled his eyes seconds later. He held a hand up in surrender and then turned the opposite direction. He heard the entire conversation.

_Of course he did,_ Leo thought. "I thought you were okay with chaperones?" he asked Kerry afterwards. "You said you're much comfortable in group settings."

"Yeah, but I don't like being under surveillance," Kerry clarified. "And you didn't tell me you were going to bring them."

"What's wrong with my stepdad and Chase?"

"They hate me?"

"They don't hate you."

Kerry shot him a look.

Leo held his hands up. "They strongly dislike you. They don't hate you," he tried to explain as amicably as possible. "There's a difference."

Kerry shook her head in surrender. She sighed. "You know, we need to find your brother a girlfriend. He desperately needs a distraction," she commented.

Leo's eyebrows shot up. "You got anyone in mind?"

"A few," Kerry answered.

"I didn't know you like playing matchmaker," Leo said.

"I don't," Kerry answered. "Your brother just needs someone to make him less tense."

"He's a graduating senior, Kerry. Of course he's tense," Leo said. A minute later, he asked, "What about me? Do I make you less tense?"

"You actually elevate my blood pressure," Kerry deadpanned.

"Ah, which means I make your heart beat faster," Leo grinned. "Aw. You say the sweetest things," he teased further.

Kerry shook her head again. "I hate you," she mumbled.

"Mm, I don't think you do," Leo said, resting back on the tree.

Few moments of silence passed them by.

"Are you okay?"

Kerry's question came up very quickly that Leo didn't have enough time to prepare himself. She was starting to see through him, and he couldn't let that happen. As an act of defense, he gave her a calculated smile—not overdone to reveal deception, not underdone to be misinterpreted as nonchalance—and answered concisely. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why'd you ask?" he inquired.

Still, Kerry regarded him with a degree of worry. "I don't know," she said. "You just seem…off."

"Like, 'off' as in goofing off too much 'off,' or…?"

"You seem sad," Kerry responded directly.

Leo hitched his shoulders. "No. I'm just tired," he said. "I didn't really get much sleep last night."

Kerry looked at him longer than what was comfortable for him, but he was successful in keeping up appearances. Her expression softened soon after – a reaction, he hoped, that meant she accepted. "That's why you were up too early," she said.

Leo chuckled. "Yeah," he said.

"Does your to-do list today involve going back to bed?" she asked.

"I'll get the rest I need soon," Leo said.

The expression on Kerry's face dimmed. She thought quietly for a few seconds before she mumbled something.

"Huh?"

"I said, you know that I don't like surprises," Kerry repeated. "You talk like something bad is about to happen."

Leo snuck a quick look behind him to see if Chase was listening to their conversation. Thankfully, his older brother seemed to be too engrossed with speaking to someone on his phone at the other end of the park while his stepfather watched his son's reaction to the call closely. He smirked at Kerry. "Well, you do look like you're about to hit me," he said.

"Because there's something you're not telling me," Kerry said, her tone rising higher. Recognizing the level of her frustration, she let out a breath. "Look. Just say it. I'm a big girl. I can take it."

That sincerely puzzled Leo. "Take what?"

"That you want us to stop seeing each other," Kerry answered. "That you don't want to hang out with me anymore. I don't know."

Leo frowned. "Why would I want that?"

"I don't know. Because Aunt Terry gave you a month-long detention? Because your family doesn't want us together? Because my mom thinks you're a murderer?"

Leo sat up. "What? Why would she think that?"

"Because she found that triple stack burger in your bag! I told you she was vegan!"

Leo narrowed his eyes. "But that was _your_ burger! You took it from the cafeteria and snuck it in there!"

Kerry looked away guiltily. "Well, better you than me," she said.

Leo's jaws dropped.

"And how do I know you don't like another girl?" Kerry said more seriously later. "Which, I guess, should be cool if you do. She's probably more normal than I am. Like those girls your brothers were talking about."

Leo was inclined to assure her that he didn't and that her theory was not real, but, partially for his own curiosity, he decided to delay it. "If I did leave, are you going to try to find someone else, too?" he asked.

Kerry shrugged, visibly disheartened. "I guess," she said. "I'll probably give this one guy a chance."

"Who?"

"Victor."

"Victor? Victor Heart? Sicky Vic? You like him?"

"He _is_ a president," Kerry said. "Dating him would automatically make me the first lady-slash-vice president."

Leo's eyebrows rose. "Which, in case of his absence…"

"…which is almost every day…"

"…will make you the president," Leo nodded, impressed. "Clever."

"I prefer genius, but clever will do," Kerry said.

Leo smiled. "There's really nothing you should be worried about, Kerry," he admitted. "I really just wanted to read these books with you. Out in this weather. Which probably no sane, normal girl would be willing to do." He chuckled. "Is that cool?"

Kerry chuckled. "That's cool," she said. "No pun intended."

Leo nodded, seeing that they had reached an agreement. He closed the book that he had with an exaggerated thump before standing up. He shook out the mixture of dirt, wet leaves and mud from the hem of his pants before offering his hand to Kerry. "Well, like I said, just an hour. I didn't want to go overboard," he said as he pulled her up. "What are you planning to do today?"

"Finish a project then hang out with Keira," Kerry replied, dusting off her windbreaker. "I think she got sick and tired of the silent treatment that she started. We're supposed to go terrorize a few merchant stands."

Leo furrowed his eyebrows.

"Our slang for shopping," Kerry clarified.

"Okay." Leo held out the novel she had let him borrow. "Thanks."

Kerry held out the one in her possession. "Glad to return the favor," she said after taking the book from him.

Leo glanced at the other book. "That's yours," he said.

"Wait, what?"

"Volume Ten. That's yours," he said. "I bought it for you."

Kerry stared at him in disbelief. "No. No," she said. "This is an advanced copy. This probably cost you a fortune—I can't take this."

"Yes, you can," Leo said. "It's my gift for you."

"For what?"

"Just a gift."

Kerry shook her head. She grabbed his hand then placed the book there. "No."

Leo moved it back towards her. "Yes."

"No."

"Please?"

Kerry frowned at him indecisively. She decided he was not going to take it back, so she acquiesced. "Okay," she said. "But just this once." She snatched the book out of Leo's hand too quickly that the pages created deep slits on his thumb.

"Ow!"

Kerry gasped. "Oh, man! Leo, I'm so sorry!" she said. She slid the books into her coat pockets before looking over the hand that Leo was already nursing. She gently took it into hers, peering upon it with concern. "I'm really sorry," she muttered, staring concernedly at the pronounced lines on his thumb where blood welled up.

Leo looked on at his wound in pain. However, Kerry's nearness and her hands technically holding his distracted him. Of the three months they have been together, physical contact was very limited. Hugs were very few, holding hands almost happened once, and kisses were non-existent. There was an abundance of high-fives. Yet, he didn't hold her elusion from him against her. She was not comfortable with things like those, and though it had made him doubt their stance every now and then, he respected it. Her mother had disclosed to him in private during that dinner with them at the restaurant how the sudden divorce affected her daughter, especially her view of people and varying forms of relationships, so he understood. That was why he resolved never to insist and allow her to stride in her own pace.

He couldn't deny, though, that this small gesture, despite coming about at his expense, was nice. It may be small, but he was going to accept it.

Kerry met his gaze. Out of panic, she let go of his hand.

Leo was surprised, but he immediately practiced understanding. He cradled his hand back to him with a content smile.

"Uh…I have to go," Kerry excused guiltily albeit clumsily. "I'm sorry about the paper cut, by the way. Sorry." She turned. She walked away then stopped after a few steps. She awkwardly turned halfway, intent to face him. She opened her mouth to speak, hesitated, closed it, and then went back on her trek away from him.

"Kerry!"

Kerry stopped. She faced him, but only barely. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye out of her embarrassing response, but she listened.

"I…" Leo started but didn't finish. Saying what he really felt would be too cruel to her. His words would only act as a blade at an improper moment like this. So he didn't. Instead, he offered her a conciliatory smile before wishing her, "I hope you enjoy the rest of that book."

Kerry nodded bashfully before walking away.

That time, she didn't stop. All Leo could do was watch as their distance increased exponentially, her green jacket reminding him of the hope he had long lost since the letter came. In a few minutes, she turned the corner and was gone. The dry and destitute scene on the street almost blinded him. The lack of color snapped him back to reality, bluntly exposing the fulfillment of one of his tasks.

* * *

_to be continued._


End file.
